Die For You
by psychology nerd
Summary: TK wasn't sure how he felt about Kari. At least, not until he saw her walking home from school with the new guy. Not until he saw him put his arm around her. Not until she started changing from the girl he'd always known. Things worsen, and Kari disappears. TK sets off to find her, but finding her leads to more trouble than just a rebellious guy. Multiple POVs. Takari
1. Chapter 1

This idea (most of it, anyway) has been floating around in my brain since season 2 first aired, and with Digimon Tri, I figured now would be as good a time as ever to get this story out of my head. I did some research on the Japanese school system and tried to get it right to the best of my ability, but if something is off, feel free to let me know. I also decided to set this roughly a year after Tri, because of not knowing what was going to go down in the rest of it, so TK and Kari are in their last year of junior high (15 years old).

Summary: TK and Kari were bound together, at least that's what TK thought. After spending a summer apart, Kari is anxious to see TK again, but TK was distancing himself further away from her as he tries to sift through his own feelings. When pushing her away, however, he pushes her right into the arms of the new student, Malik. Kari soon begins to change, and not for the better. When she disappears, TK, with Patamon and Gatomon by his side, goes on a mission to find her, but finding Kari leads them right to the source of TK's childhood nightmares.

Disclaimer: Malik is mine. That's pretty much it.

* * *

Kari

 _Darkness surrounded me._

 _I knew this place. It has been a while since it last invaded my dreams. Unlike my past dreams about the dark ocean, I wasn't alone. A shadow came closer, out of the mist. I wasn't afraid. In fact, it was comforting. TK's image popped into my head, followed by Yolei's. It had to be - -_

 _He appeared before me. His dark hair was slick back with too much hair gel, and his lean figure was relaxed, making me relax. He held out his hands, his green eyes encouraging me. I touched his hands, and warmth swept through my body. He leaned in closer to me, and his lips found mine._

Something shook me, making the images fade little by little until I opened my eyes, finding myself at home, in my bed.

Gatomon perched near my head, the obvious source of the shaking.

"I take it you had a nice dream," she commented. "You had a goofy look on your face and now you're blushing. Was a certain someone there?"

My blush deepened. "I don't even know who it was."

I pulled the green uniform from my closet, attempting to brush off the dream. But, I knew from past experiences that not all my dreams were just dreams, especially ones regarding the dark ocean. But, who was that guy?

As I slipped on my shirt, I checked my phone. Nothing. I sighed.

"Just give him heck when you see him today," Gatomon said as if reading my mind.

I nodded, but we both knew I never would.

This summer, TK and Matt went to Paris to visit their grandparents. TK and I talked every day during the first two weeks, sending each other several messages a day and two phone calls a week, but after two weeks, two turned into one, and several messages a day turned into a few messages per week, and for the last week, I hadn't heard anything at all. I hoped he was okay, but he wasn't okay was the only explanation I could understand.

I supposed it didn't matter anymore. He was supposed to get home two days ago, and today he would have to see me in school. Things would just go back to normal, as if he never left. At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

When I was finished getting ready, I headed out of the room, leaving the door open for Gatomon to follow me. She didn't, but judging from the smell in the kitchen, I didn't have a chance to really think about it.

I had to admit, Mom was a decent cook . . . as long as she didn't try anything _unusual_. Typical food that could be made in a microwave or toaster was her specialty.

"Good morning, Kari. I hope you're hungry."

I smiled at Mom as I took a seat next to Tai who was chowing down to a plate of eggs and waffles. He was in the final stretch of his senior year, and while some of our friends were cracking under that pressure (or as Joe had the year before), it didn't seem to faze Tai much.

When Tai was finished, I hadn't even started. He grabbed his bag (and his lunch, for once) and headed for the door. I didn't have to leave for another hour, at least.

"Tai, have you heard from Matt recently?"

He looked at me as if he just noticed I was there. "Yesterday. Why?"

"Is everything okay? Did they make it home safely?"

He nodded. "Yeah, as far as I know. Haven't you talked to TK?"

I shook my head, refusing to elaborate. I forced a smile. "He's probably jet-lagged. I'll see him today."

I forced myself to eat what was in front of me, but when Mom asked if I wanted seconds, I politely declined and went back to my room. Gatomon was gone, and the window was hanging open. My heart sunk. What was she doing?

Gatomon

Kari and I both knew she wasn't cut out for this. Confrontations weren't her thing, so it was a good thing she had me.

I spotted TK walking to school. I followed them from a close distance until Patamon poked his head out of TK's bag. He flew over to me, seemingly going undetected by TK.

"Hey, Gatomon, what's going on?"

I led him down an alley before responding, "Kari's worried because TK hasn't spoken to her since he came home, and he's been distant with her for half the summer. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Patamon averted his gaze. "Something happened, and he just hasn't been feeling right ever since."

"What does that have to do with him not talking to Kari?"

"I shouldn't say."

I groaned. "Patamon, this is serious."

He looked me in the eyes. "I'm sure he'll tell her sooner or later, but everything will be okay. Trust me."

I sighed. "I wish I could, but it's upsetting Kari, no matter how hard she tries to hide it."

Patamon frowned. "He didn't mean to, or at least I don't think he did. Once they see each other again, everything will probably work itself out."

For Kari's sake, I hoped he was right.

Kari

I walked to school alone. It was okay, though. I didn't feel much like talking to anyone, anyway.

My concern turned to Gatomon. Where had she run off to? And, more importantly, why didn't she tell me?

When I got there, I scanned my surroundings looking for familiar faces, but mostly on the lookout for TK. I spotted him talking to a group of guys near the front doors. It had been six weeks since I had seen him, and seeing him now made me take a step back.

I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't want an audience.

"Kari!" I turned my head, finding Gatomon poking her head out of a tree. I walked over to her.

"Talk to him," she said.

I shook my head. "He's busy."

She groaned. "Just do it or I will, and I don't think you want that."

I bit my lip. No, I definitely didn't want that.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to him and the other guys. The other guys looked at me. The one closest to TK smirked and poked his shoulder. "Looks like your girlfriend missed you."

TK glanced at me, then turned back to them. I noticed a hint of annoyance when he spoke, "Really? Another semester of this, guys?"

Last semester, these comments made me laugh. Now, not so much.

Another one of them spoke up. "You know, you're right. She's too good to be your girlfriend, Takaishi."

Now a smile crept across my face.

TK groaned. "Whatever. I'm done with you." He turned to me, and he gave me a little smile, though it seemed forced. "Hey, Kari, what's up?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wanted to say something, but all I managed was, "I missed you."

No confrontation. No questions. Nothing. If Gatomon were listening, she probably would've just smacked herself in the head.

He stepped back, looking at the ground. No 'I missed you, too'. Nothing. I crossed my arms over my chest, as if I could keep my heart from breaking.

"It feels like I was gone longer than six weeks," he said, finally breaking the silence.

I nodded. "How was it? You must've been busy."

He studied me for a moment, seeming a little surprised by my statement. He had to have known why I said that.

"Oh, you know, sight-seeing, all that fun stuff."

He was definitely hiding something, but I couldn't tell what. I would just have to keep pressing.

"What about you? What did you get into?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Lots of sleep-overs with Yolei, but nothing exciting."

Right now, I wished Yolei was still in the same school as us, but she was now in her first year of high school. Between her and Gatomon, they would've gotten answers for me.

He seemed to be having problems meeting my gaze, for he kept looking anywhere but at me. He shifted his weight. "We should probably get to class."

I swallowed my nerves. "We have the same first class, remember? Besides, we have ten minutes left."

"Um about that . . . I had my schedule changed."

He what?

"Matt convinced me to take a class with one of his former teachers, and the only way I could was to replace my first period."

I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

"We still have last period together," TK said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You should be relieved to get a break from me." He gave a light laugh that was too forced to be sincere.

He went inside without me. I stayed behind, and when he was inside, I headed toward Gatomon's tree. This time, Patamon also poked his head out beside her.

"What's going on?" I asked them, hoping one of them would know. Judging by the guilty look on Patamon's face, I knew he knew. Part of me wanted to question him, but another part of me, a stronger part, knew that would be wrong. I wouldn't like it if TK went to Gatomon asking questions about things I was trying to keep a secret, and I needed to give TK that same respect.

I looked instead at Gatomon, who seemed deep in thought. "Just go to class, Kari. It'll come out when it's supposed to."

I took a seat in first period, and Davis slid into the seat next to me. "Wow, I beat him here! It's destiny, Kari."

I couldn't help but laugh at his pathetic attempt at flirting. "He's no longer taking this class, silly. Try again in last period."

"Davis, could you come to the front, please?" Our teacher called for him. Davis shot me a confused look as he made his way to the front. Meanwhile, a boy with slicked-back dark hair came toward me.

My heart rate sped up as he took Davis' seat. He smiled. "Name's Malik. I'm new, and you seem harmless. Mind if I sit here?"

I nodded, unable to tear away from his gaze.

"Hey, buddy, that seat's taken!" Davis broke my concentration, and I felt my face warming up.

"Davis, it's okay. Let him sit here," I said.

"But the only open seat is in the back."

"Then you'll be less likely to get caught sleeping."

His eyes lit up. "Right . . . See you later, Kari and new guy."

I shook my head as he walked away.

"Can't say I blame the poor guy for wanting to sit next to you."

I looked at Malik. "He's just a friend of mine. He might seem obnoxious at first, but he's nice once you get to know him."

"So basically, you just get used to him?"

I giggled. "Yeah, pretty much."

I looked at Malik in full, and suddenly, I was back in my dream. The dark hair, the steady gaze .. . He looked just like the mystery guy. If I touched his hands, would I feel the same heat I did in my dream? Could it really be him?

* * *

Thanks for reading! This story is entirely written so the next chapter will be up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kari

I had wanted to talk to TK all morning, and it killed me that I hadn't seen him at all. Instead, I sat playing with my lunch, barely eating it. Murmurs from my classmates swirled around me.

"Kari!"

I turned my head and smiled. She was one of my non-digidestined friends. She had that look on her face that told me she was full of gossip. Typically, I brushed off the gossip and didn't pay any real attention to it, but something seemed different.

"What's the scoop on TK's girlfriend?" she asked.

The blood drained from my face. "What are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath. "TK apparently told Josh who told Elaine who told me that he had a girlfriend who lived in Paris. I figured you're his best friend. You would know, so spill."

I gripped the table, feeling a wave of nausea in the pit of my stomach. "I don't feel well. I'm going to the nurse."

I stood up, but I didn't get too far before Davis blocked my path. "Hey, Kari, what's going on?"

"I'm okay," I said. "I just need some air."

I walked past him, though I wasn't really sure where I was going. I just needed to get out of there.

I couldn't help but remember the last time I walked out of class and used the nurse as an excuse. TK had come to find me. Part of me hoped he would this time, too, but the more logical part of me knew that he wouldn't, especially because this time he hadn't seen me walk out.

Like last time, I went outside, though I didn't sit on a bench. I just wanted to go for a walk. Maybe the fresh air would help me.

Wings flapping and paws rustling through the grass caught my attention. I turned to Gatomon and Patamon, giving them a small smile.

"Ditching school on the first day. You're such a rebel," Gatomon teased.

I sighed. "I think I'm done for the rest of the year."

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

I looked at her, then turned to Patamon. "Why did someone ask me about TK's Paris girlfriend?"

That guilty look from earlier returned to his face. Gatomon turned to him as well.

"He didn't want to tell you. He doesn't know what to tell you," Patamon said. "Something happened, but he's not even sure what. That's why he didn't want to tell you. At least, not until he knew."

I stared past them, unable to meet their worried gazes. "He fell in love. Didn't he?"

Patamon flew higher, forcing me to look at him. "It's not that. Well, not in the way you're thinking."

"But, why is he avoiding me?" I asked. "Or, does he know . . . and that's why . . . "

Panic shot through my body. Of course he knew. He avoided me because he didn't want to tell me he found someone else. It would be like TK to want to spare my feelings.

"Does he know what?"

Gatomon turned to Patamon, who floated back down. "Kari is in love with TK."

Patamon's jaw dropped.

Gatomon smacked her forehead. "You and TK are perfect together. You're just as oblivious as he is."

Patamon looked at me again. "He doesn't know that. You should tell him."

Gatomon shook her head. "These are human teenagers we're talking about, Patamon. She's hid her feelings for years. He's going to find out only at the worst possible time, and then this hot mess is going to turn into an inferno."

I fought back the smile that tugged at my lips. That was typically how it happened, wasn't it?

"Kari, if you want him, you're going to have to fight for him," Gatomon said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "If he's really your friend, he still will be no matter what."

I nodded. She was right. I needed to do this today.

I heard the faint ring of the bell, so I headed back inside. Once I got in there, I found Malik, looking as if he was waiting for someone.

"I was looking for you," he said. "I thought you ran away."

I smiled, shaking my head. "No, I just needed to take a walk."

"I saw you get upset when that girl asked you about some TK person. What was up with that?"

I paused. Had he really been watching me? We were sitting next to each other, but I thought he wasn't paying attention.

"It's nothing," I said. I wanted to leave it at that, but I felt almost compelled to continue, "TK is just a friend of mine, but he's been kind of distant lately."

"And you were upset over someone asking about his girlfriend?"

I tensed up. "He just didn't tell me is all."

He didn't seem convinced. "So you're his friend and had no idea, but some random person knew before you did?"

I stopped walking. I hadn't even thought about that. I told TK everything, but he didn't say a word, even before he became distant.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Things have been weird between us lately."

He had stopped, too. His intense gaze locked on mine, and for a moment I forgot to breathe. "A real friendship isn't complicated like this. I hope you know that a real friend wouldn't do this to you. Would you ever do this to him?"

I shook my head. "I'm always there for him."

He nodded. "Just as I thought."

"But, until now, he's always been there for me, too. I know it'll get better." The feeling of dread started to go away again, but it lingered. What if it didn't get better?

He turned away and started walking again. "I'm sure you're right. I just hate seeing someone as nice as you get treated like that."

* * *

TK

My classes were all a blur as I tried to make sense of the million thoughts and feelings going on inside me. This had been my life for weeks now, and I should've been used to it, but seeing Kari again just made it worse.

Last period, I had a science lab class with Kari. I ducked into the restroom beforehand and splashed cold water on my face. I could get through this. I just needed to focus.

A guy with dark hair and dark eyes entered as I was drying off. I hadn't seen him before, but he looked to be around my age.

"You're in year 9, right?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

He smiled. "Name's Malik. I'm new here. I'm just trying to get to know some people."

"I was the new kid a couple years ago," I said. "I was lucky enough to already have a friend who went here, though. I'm TK, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." He looked to the side. "Do you happen to know Kari Kamiya?"

A sharp pang went through my chest at the mention of her name. "Yeah, I know her. She's one of my friends. Why?"

He looked back at me. "I met her this morning. She seems nice enough. But, just a few minutes ago, she ran into me in the hallway and she was crying."

The pain grew. "Where is she?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I overheard someone ask her a question about some guy, and she just took off crying."

Pain turned to guilt. Why did I get the feeling I was the reason why she was crying?

He locked eyes with me, and the guilt seemed to intensify. "She's too nice. She doesn't deserve that kind of person in her life. She should be happy."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I agree."

He walked out, leaving me alone again. It was as if this guy just came in to talk to me, as if he knew who I was. Had Kari told him about me?

It didn't matter. Upsetting her was the one thing I was trying not to do. I needed a new plan.

* * *

Kari

On my way to my last class, someone came up beside me and grinned. "Finally, just the two of us. Or something close to that."

The halls were still crowded, but not a digidestined around besides us. I looked up at TK. His blue eyes were full of that familiar warmth I had missed.

I smiled, and for the first time that day, I completely meant it. "Not for long. Davis is in this class, too."

As if on cue, Davis ran up behind us. "Hey, TK, I'll race you for the seat beside Kari."

TK waved him off. "Go ahead. I sat beside her the last few years. I should give you a turn."

Davis and I looked at TK as if there was an alien parasite on his face. He wasn't serious, was he?

TK headed in. "I'll sit behind you, so you better not try anything, Davis."

I wanted to talk to TK, but I couldn't with Davis now at my side. As he said, TK took a seat behind me. I wanted to get up and sit beside him anyway, but then a blushing red-haired girl sat next to him. He didn't want to sit beside me now. What was I supposed to make of that?

"It's no fun when he doesn't even try," Davis whispered to me.

I didn't reply. Instead, I turned my focus on the front of the room and tried to pay attention. Confronting TK would have to wait until after class.

After class, TK headed out and I was quick to follow him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and he jumped and turned around.

"Sorry to startle you, but I was wondering, would you mind walking me home?"

His eyes read like an apology, and I knew what was coming. "I can't tonight. Mom wants me home early."

My heart sank a little, but then an idea hit me. "Can I go home with you for a bit, then? I really want to talk to you."

He looked away, and I could tell he was trying to make another excuse.

I sighed. _If you don't want me around, just say it, TK. Don't make excuses_. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. I wanted so bad to say those words to him, but I didn't. I wasn't good at confrontations.

"Hey, Kari, I can walk you home."

I turned around and saw Malik standing there. I nodded. "Okay, thank you."

I walked over to Malik's side, and he slung his arm around my back. A weird feeling came over me, one I couldn't describe. For a second, I looked back at TK, whose eyes had widened in apparent shock.

* * *

Thanks again for reading :) Hope you're enjoying it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Patamon

TK stared at the ground the whole way home. He smiled at me when I landed on his head, but it seemed forced.

"TK, what's wrong?" I asked once we were far enough away from the school.

He sighed. "How could I have just let Kari leave with that guy? We know nothing about him."

"Then why didn't you walk her home?"

He didn't answer right away, and when he did, I barely heard him, "I'm just going to end up hurting her."

"TK, what are you talking about? You'd never hurt her."

A distant look took over his eyes. "I already am."

I flew in front of him, forcing him to look at me. "Then, you need to do something about it rather than make the situation worse."

He nodded. "I guess you're right."

I smiled. "Good. Gatomon and I don't like seeing you guys like this."

He didn't say anything else on the way home, but he had picked up his pace. A new look of determination took over his features. Finally, maybe things would go back to normal.

* * *

Kari

Walking home with Malik seemed a bit weird, at first, but it wasn't long before we became immersed in conversation and the weird feeling started to go away. He talked about his old school and his old friends, and I smiled and laughed at the stories he told. The pain I felt earlier lingered, but it was getting better.

"So, do you have to be home right away?" Malik had stopped walking in front of a little café.

I shook my head. "No, why?"

"Want to grab a drink or something? I haven't been here before."

I nodded. "Ok. Sure."

We went inside, and I hung my bag on the back of a chair. "I'll be right back. Take your time."

I went to the bathroom, using that time to freshen up. Part of me wished I was here with TK, but that part wasn't as big as I thought it would've been. He made his decision, and now I made mine. I wasn't going to let his indifference get to me. When he was ready to talk, I would listen, but until then, I wouldn't let him ruin anything else for me.

I left the bathroom and found Malik waiting for me. "Know what you want? I'll order."

I nodded. "Just lemonade." I rooted through my bag and pulled out some money.

He shook his head. "It's on me."

"Are you sure?" I wasn't used to people paying for me, except for Tai and my parents.

He nodded. "What kind of guy wouldn't pay for a pretty girl's drink?"

A light blush crept across my face. For the last couple years, I had had several guys who found me attractive, but of course it was always the guys I didn't want. Maybe Malik would be different. Maybe I could fall for him and stop obsessing over TK.

He came back to the table with our drinks and sat down. He handed me mine and I thanked him.

"My pleasure," he said. He placed his hand over mine, and something stirred inside me. TK was the only one who had ever gotten this intimate with me as far as the opposite sex was concerned. "You know, I'd kill to have someone as good as you in my life. TK's an idiot for treating you like he does."

I cracked a smile. "We can be friends, and you won't have to kill anyone for me."

He continued holding my hand, but I pulled it away after a few seconds as a nauseous feeling took over me and TK's face filled my mind. We weren't a couple, but somehow I felt like I was doing something wrong.

We finished our drinks and then Malik walked me home. He continued to tell me about where he was from, and I forced myself to pay attention to him and not my inner turmoil. When we reached my house, we lingered in the doorway. I looked in his eyes, and he was looking at me, too, like he wanted to do more than just talk. Then, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. I closed my eyes. The negative thoughts stopped, at least for a moment. Like the waves crashing against the shore had subsided. The ocean . . .

I took a step back. "I need to get inside. Thank you again, Malik."

I closed the door behind me before he could say anything. Gatomon had snuck in through my window and was waiting for me. She looked at me curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

* * *

TK

On the way home, I had sent Kari a message saying to call me when she got home, but she didn't. I called her house later on and Tai answered, saying she had gone to bed early. I was at least glad she made it home okay, but now it seemed she was ignoring me. I deserved that.

I lay awake all night. Patamon slept quietly beside me, leaving me alone with my thoughts. What if my apology was too late? What if she already replaced me with that Malik guy? Could someone she had known for years be replaced by someone she just met today?

But, maybe she should replace me, to some degree. Like Malik had said, she deserves someone who won't hurt her, and that's all I seem to be able to do lately, and probably all I'd do in the future.

Since I didn't get any sleep, I got up early and headed out before sunrise, hoping to catch Kari before she got to school. I was careful not to wake Patamon. This was between Kari and me, and I didn't want to drag him and Gatomon into this more than I had to. I knocked on the door, and Tai answered.

He was still in pajamas, which wasn't a surprise, and he didn't seem too happy to see me. Had Kari told him something?

"Hey, Tai, is Kari here?"

He nodded. "She's here, but she doesn't want to talk to you."

Soft footsteps came from behind him, and a slender hand rested on Tai's shoulder. "Relax. It's okay."

With some reluctance, he stepped aside. Kari stood before me, already looking like she was ready to go to school.

I spent all night thinking about what I was going to say, but it all seemed stupid now that I was face to face with her. She didn't seem mad at me, but I couldn't read her expression at all.

"TK, what is it?"

I stepped back and she stepped forward, closing the door behind her.

I shouldn't have come here. I should've just met her at school. Why did I come here?

The memory of her walking home with Malik entered my mind. That was why.

She just kept looking at me with those big, brown eyes. They used to be a comfort for me, but lately . . .

I turned away. "Kari, what I wanted to say is . . . I don't know what to say." Smooth, really smooth, TK.

"You could start by explaining why you barely talked to me all summer, or why you kept avoiding me yesterday."

I sighed. "I'm sorry if anything I said or did hurt you. I never thought I would do that. I just don't know what to do anymore."

She placed her hand on my shoulder, and a wave of warmth washed over me the way only her touch could.

"It's okay. Just promise me it won't happen again."

She made it sound easy, like I could just say "okay" and everything would go back to the way it used to be, but I knew better.

"I can't. I wish I could, but I can't."

I turned back to her and she dropped her hand. "Oh. Then, why did you come here if you didn't want things to go back to normal? Why did you want to apologize for something you're going to continue doing?"

Because I'm an idiot. That's why. "I don't want to keep doing it." I raked my hand through my hair. "Something's going on with me, Kari. I can't think straight. I just need space to get my head together. Only then can I trust myself not to hurt you anymore."

"TK, let me help you. You know I'm here for you," she pleaded. "You don't have to do this by yourself."

"I need to do this myself, Kari. You can't help me with this." I took a deep breath. "I just need some time to myself. When I'm ready, I'll come to you."

I thought I had worded it well. I thought maybe she would understand.

She took a step back. "You're not the only one dealing with things right now, TK, but I'd never shut you out, and what hurts the most is that you apparently don't trust me as much as I trust you."

"It's not that." Without thinking, I touched her cheek. She looked at me with tear-filled brown eyes, and a pang of guilt shot through me. The whole point in me coming here was so she would stop crying. I really shouldn't have come.

She pushed my hand off her face. "I just . . . want you to know that, in spite of everything, I could never shut you out. I'll always be here for you, even if you're not here for me."

"Kari, that's not what I meant." I groaned. "You're not understanding this at all."

"What's not to understand?" she asked. "I get it. You're going to continue not talking to me and hiding things from me. But, tell me something. Was it your new girlfriend who changed you?"

I tensed. "How did you find out?"

"People talk." She looked away from me. "It's okay. She must mean a lot to you if you let her change you this much."

"No one changed me," I said. "And she's not my girlfriend. We went on a few dates, but that was it. It didn't work out."

She looked up at me again. "So, this is all you?"

Pain shot through my chest, but I managed a nod. "Kari, I just can't be a good friend to you right now. Please, understand that."

She turned around. "Thank you for finally talking to me instead of continuing to avoid me. You saved me some grief."

She went back inside before I could respond, closing the door behind her. I stood there, dumbstruck for a moment, and then something hit the back of my head. I winced, grabbing my head, as Gatomon landed in front of me.

"That was for Kari who is too nice to slap you," she said. "Kari has done nothing but worry about you and think about you since you left, and this is how you treat her? Every day, I had to listen to her talk about how much she missed you and that she couldn't wait until you returned. She doesn't deserve this."

I looked off to the side. "I know she doesn't. Take care of her, Gatomon. Don't let anyone else hurt her."

I walked away, ignoring Gatomon as she yelled for me to come back. I couldn't stay here, though.

Kari wasn't in school that day. I'd never seen her ditch school before, and I felt even guiltier.

This whole thing started because I couldn't kiss another girl without thinking about her. I couldn't see that problem going away anytime soon regardless of how much I talked to her, or how much I didn't talk to her. But, I wasn't lying. I did need time to figure out how I actually felt about her, and I had to do that on my own.

I stared at her empty seat in last period, trying to imagine she was there. I missed her. I missed talking to her. Did I do the right thing? I really didn't know anymore.

After school, I didn't go straight home. I wandered onto the soccer field where Tai's team was practicing. As soon as he saw me, he ran toward me.

"What did you say to Kari?" he demanded. "She just went straight to her room this morning and started crying and she wouldn't come out."

"I know. I'm sorry, Tai." I stared at the ground. Looking into his eyes was impossible when he was like this. "I'll try to talk to her. I don't want to leave her like that."

"I wouldn't, TK. You did enough damage."

I didn't listen to him. Instead, I headed straight for her house, only stopping long enough to pick up her favorite ice cream from the convenience store. Even if I couldn't make her feel better, maybe this would.

When I got closer to her house, I thought about what I was walking into. Would she still be upset? Would she answer the door? Would she send me away? Or, would she be happy to see me? A million possibilities floated through my head, but I did my best to push them away.

I took a deep breath then knocked on her door. Seconds felt like hours before the door finally opened. To my surprise, Kari wasn't on the other side.

I blinked, sure I had to be seeing things, but I wasn't. "Malik? What are you doing here?"

"Dropping off Kari's schoolwork that she missed," he answered. "She doesn't want to see you."

My hands clenched at my side. This guy was really starting to bug me. "I'd rather hear that from her."

He stepped forward, closing the door behind him. "You broke her heart. She can't stand you. Can't say I blame her. So, why don't you get out of here and admit that you missed your one and only chance with her?"

My hands curled into fists. "You're wrong. She'd never say that. Now let me talk to her."

I tried to get around him, but he shoved me. I stumbled back a few steps and glared at him. "Let me see her!"

"Take a hint and admit it, TK. If she wanted to talk to you, she would have been out here already."

I glared at him. One day. He had known her for one day. Did Kari know he was doing this? She couldn't have.

"Kari!" I yelled her name, hoping she would hear me.

Malik slammed the door in my face. I stood there for a minute, anxiously waiting for Kari to re-open it. A few minutes passed, and she never did.

Patamon came out of my bag, looking as perplexed as I felt.

"It'll be alright, TK. She's not going to replace you that easily."

I didn't say anything, refusing to give a voice to my thoughts. Instead, I stuffed my hands into my pockets and walked away.

* * *

Thanks again for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

Kari

I ditched school. Instead, I hung out in the digital world with Gatomon all day. We stayed in a forest area. It was kind of weird being here just the two of us. Especially for safety reasons, none of the digidestined traveled here without another pair, but today had been peaceful. I almost would've welcomed the arrival of some crazy Digimon on the warpath just to take my mind off my situation with TK.

I had brought a sack of picnic food before we left, and after we finished it, Gatomon and I sat under a shade tree. For the most part we were silent. There was nothing I could say that she didn't already know, and nothing she could say could help the aching in my chest. But, at least I still had her. I could lose everyone else but never her. That thought comforted me a little bit.

The silence ended when I heard footsteps approaching us. I looked up, unsure of who I would find, but I sighed with relief when I saw Ken, Yolei, Hawkmon, and Wormmon emerge from behind some trees. Ken and Yolei were holding hands. It never really bothered me before, but now I had to look away.

Ken's eyes widened. "Oh, Kari, we weren't expecting to see you here."

I forced a smile and stood up. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone here, either."

"How is everything?" Yolei asked, releasing Ken's hand as she approached me.

I crossed my arms, not sure if I should tell the truth or not. But then, Yolei placed her hands on my shoulders. "Okay, what's wrong?"

I smiled weakly and pushed her hands away. "It's nothing."

I shouldn't have wasted my time lying to her. She always saw through me. But, before she could say anything else, Ken interrupted.

"I came yesterday and thought I saw someone, but I couldn't get a good look at him. A Digimon I hadn't seen before was with him, though, and I got a good glimpse of it."

"What did the Digimon look like?"

"It looked like . . . Patamon, except it was purple, not orange. I asked Izzy about it, and he said he'd never seen it, either."

I frowned. "So now Digimon come in different colors?"

Ken smiled lightly. "Looks that way."

I looked down at Gatomon who seemed worried. I frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what's going on, but if whoever it is is a digidestined with a Tsukaimon for a partner, we might be in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"Tsukaimon aren't usually the friendliest Digimon," she explained. "We need to be on the look-out for them. It could be nothing, but we don't want it to turn into something."

Ken nodded. "Right."

"Kari, did you and Gatomon come here alone?" Yolei asked.

I nodded. "Why?"

"You didn't even go to school today, did you?"

I shook my head.

She grabbed my wrist. "We'll be back, Ken. Just wait here."

Gatomon and Hawkmon stayed with Ken, much to my dismay. Now there would be no one to save me from Yolei's interrogation. We walked for a few minutes, and then Yolei released me. "Okay, talk to me."

"It's nothing, Yolei."

"You never ditch school. It is something."

I bit my lip. I really didn't have a choice. "It's just . . . I think I'm losing TK."

Yolei stopped walking and gave me a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"He's hardly been talking to me, and when he does it's only to blow me off." Tears pulled in the corners of my eyes. "He came to my apartment this morning. He said he doesn't want to hurt me, but he needs time away from me. Something is wrong with him but he won't let me help him."

Her expression softened. "Kari . . . You know he cares about you."

"I used to think so, too, but now I'm not so sure." I looked away. "I love him, Yolei. I just wish he loved me, too."

"He'll come around. He has to," she said. "Boys can be dumb, but I see the way he looks at you . . . He doesn't look at anyone else that way."

"I don't know what to think anymore." I sighed. "I just wish this was easier."

"You guys have been through worse. You'll get through this, too." She smiled, her expression full of confidence. "And if things get too bad, I'll tie him upside down to a tree until he stops being dumb."

I forced a smile. "Thanks, Yolei."

"Anytime." She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. "I'm always here for you."

We returned to the others, but I decided to head home. I came to the Digital World to be alone, and I wasn't much in the mood to be their third wheel. Gatomon and I had been there long enough for today anyway, and it was soon time for my family to start coming home.

When we got home, no one was there yet, so I wouldn't get asked a million questions. As I walked around, something felt off, like a presence was lurking that I couldn't see. I didn't know how to describe the feeling, other than it didn't give off good vibes.

"Someone was here," Gatomon said, as if reading my thoughts.

"I know." But, who?

* * *

Gatomon

Kari had another bad night. She was sweating in her sleep, clutching the blankets, and breathing hard. She muttered things like "no" and "don't" several times. I was afraid to know just what she was dreaming about.

Around 1 AM, a soft tapping came from her window. I looked up, surprised to find Patamon. I lifted the window and jumped onto the balcony. It wasn't cold out, so I figured Kari wouldn't really notice a temperature change.

I followed him, far enough that Kari shouldn't have been able to hear us. Then, Patamon started talking.

"So, what were you and Kari doing all day?"

"We went to the Digital World. Why?"

"Were you back when TK came by?"

Wait, what? "Why was he here?"

Now Patamon really seemed worried. "TK was upset when Kari wasn't in school. He wanted to check on her. That new guy, Malik, was here when he came by. He told TK that Kari didn't want to see him, they got into an argument, and Malik slammed the door in his face."

"I swear, Patamon, we weren't home yet," I said. "What was Malik doing here?"

"Supposedly dropping off Kari's missed homework," he said. "I have a bad feeling about him, and not just because TK doesn't like him."

"There's something going on, that's for sure. And I don't know how much Kari would appreciate Malik being here uninvited, especially when no one was home."

"Right," he said. "I'll tell TK you guys weren't home. He was really worried."

 _If he cared about her so much, why was he pushing her away?_

I didn't voice my thoughts to Patamon. It was our job to protect Kari and TK, not interfere with their personal lives. Besides, unlike TK and Kari, our friendship wasn't complicated by teenage hormones, and I'd like to keep it that way.

"I think TK loves her," he continued, snapping me from my thoughts. "But I think he's also afraid to love her."

"Kari loves him, but she's not afraid of it." I stared at the ground. "She's only afraid that he doesn't love her back, and he's only making that fear worse."

"These two are going to need a lot of work," Patamon said. "Anyway, I better get back before TK wakes up. I'll see you tomorrow."

He flew away, and I hopped back inside Kari's room and closed the window. She was mumbling something, and she was shivering. I pulled the blankets over her more and touched her forehead. She was warm, and her cheeks were flushed. Was she coming down with something?

I hopped off her bed and flicked on her dim light. Something seemed off about her. Her skin was pale. It could've been from being sick, but my gut told me something else was wrong.

I watched Kari for the rest of the night, but nothing changed until she woke up after her alarm sounded. She sat up, and her face returned to its normal coloring. She stood up as if nothing had happened over night.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Fine. Why?" She walked over to her closet and grabbed her uniform.

"I thought you were getting sick. You shivered a lot and your face was pale."

She looked at me, clearly confused. "I didn't notice anything."

"Did you have another dream?"

She shook her head. "Not that I can remember. Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Because you had me worried all night," I said. "Did you know Malik was here yesterday?"

She started putting her uniform on. "So?"

"He was here, in the apartment, when no one else was," I clarified. "Patamon said TK had come by and Malik told him he was dropping off your missed homework, and then he slammed the door in TK's face."

She shot me a glare. It sent a chill up my spine, not because it was threatening but because it was a look I'd rarely seen on Kari, and she'd never sent it in my direction.

"Please, never say his name to me again." Her voice shook as she fumbled with her shirt.

Now I was really alarmed. "Kari, I know your friendship is in a rough place, but I know you don't really mean that."

"He's a jerk. I don't want to hear his name ever again."

She went to open the door, but I blocked her path. "Where is this coming from? Kari, TK has been by your side since the first time you went to the digital world. He helped me save you from the dark ocean. He was always trying to protect you. Don't you remember?"

Her bottom lip quivered, and when she spoke, her voice didn't carry as much confidence."Move, Gatomon."

"Not until you snap out of whatever this is."

"I'm not snapping out of anything. This is reality. TK and I aren't friends anymore. Accept it. I have."

I stepped away, too stunned to argue. Something was definitely wrong with her.

* * *

Kari

I didn't talk to Gatomon on the way to school. Not that I had anything to say to her. I myself was still trying to swallow 'the truth'.

I didn't necessarily lie to Gatomon about not having dreams last night, but this wasn't exactly a dream. It was just TK's voice laughing at me as he told me we were never friends and that he didn't care about me and never wanted to see me again, among other things that I did my best to push to the back of my mind.

At school, Gatomon went up her usual tree. I turned around and met the baby blue eyes that used to fill me with happiness, but now all they filled me with was despair and lonliness. I couldn't remember a time I had ever looked at him and not felt joy.

He approached me, looking nervous. Couldn't he tell that I didn't want to talk to him?

"Kari, can I talk to you?"

Before I could say no, another voice interrupted.

"How many times do I have to tell you she doesn't want to talk to you?" Malik stood beside me and threw his arm across my shoulders protectively. TK's eyes widened at the sight. I didn't say anything as Malik led me inside.

"You just stick with me. He won't hurt you again."

I nodded. "What do you know? I have my own personal bodyguard."

* * *

TK

I tried multiple times during the day to talk to Kari, but Malik was always there, hovering over her and watching me. My only real chance was in last period. I tapped her on the shoulder and she whirled around.

"What do you want?"

I tried to stay calm as she turned her hard gaze on me. The warmth was gone. "I want to talk to you now that your _friend's_ not here."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said. "I'm done being some pathetic girl you manipulated into being your doormat."

Manipulated? Doormat? "What are you talking about? Kari, I would do anything for you."

"Then, I want you to never speak to me again."

I looked down. "Is the damage I did so bad you want me out of your life for good? I hoped our friendship was stronger than this."

Davis turned to us now. "As much as I hate to admit it, Kari, he's got a point. Why should one mistake lead to throwing away a friendship like yours? I've messed up a thousand times but we're still friends."

"I can't be friends with someone who plays with my head," she said.

"Kari, what are you talking about? I've never done that." I wouldn't do that to anyone. She knew I wouldn't.

She turned around just as our teacher started talking. I groaned. What was going on?

I tried again after class. It was the last chance I would have for the day. As she stood up, I touched her shoulder. She shrugged my hand away.

"Kari, I messed things up and I'm sorry. Can you please forgive me?"

She shook her head. "It's too late. Now leave me alone."

"I can't, Kari," I said. "We're digidestined. That will always bring us back together."

We were the only ones left in the room now. She looked me up and down, but what seemed odd was the fear in her eyes.

"Remember when I went to the dark ocean looking for you after you disappeared? You always told me how afraid you were of it happening again, and I would always tell you that I would always find you if it did. It's because I care about you, and I'd never let anything bad happen to you."

She turned back around, looking angrier than I'd ever seen her. "If you cared about me, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

I searched her eyes, but there was no sign of her usual gentle self. "Kari, what's gotten into you? What has Malik been telling you?"

"He has nothing to do with this," she said. "He's been good to me. He actually cares about me."

"Kari, he's bad news," I warned. "You've only known him a few days. You've known me for seven years. Do you really trust him more than you trust me?"

She was silent for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was broken and barely above a whisper."I don't trust you anymore."

I felt as though she had just slapped me. She walked away, but I was too dumbfounded to stop her. She didn't mean that, did she?

Once I regained my bearings, I stepped into the hall, just in time to see Kari wrap her arms around Malik.

"This is getting bad, huh?"

I turned to Davis. "What do you know about this?"

"Kari's been ignoring anyone who's tried to talk to her all day," he said. "Except for yelling at you, and of course this Malik guy."

I frowned, watching them walk away. This guy didn't just have a thing for Kari. He was doing something to her, and I wouldn't rest until I figured out what.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

Gatomon

Watching Kari with Malik was one of the most disgusting sights I had ever seen. On the way home, he had his arm wrapped around her waist, and she leaned into him. Kari was usually warm and friendly toward everyone, but this was even unusual for her. But, many things she had done today were unusual for her.

I had hoped he would leave once she got home, but I was wrong. I came in through her window as they walked inside. He held both of her hands in his. I recognized the look on his face from those sappy romance movies Kari watched, and I could tell that he was going to try to kiss her.

 _Don't do it, Kari._ I knew she couldn't hear my thoughts, but for once I wished she could. This wasn't right, and on some level, she should've known that.

Before he could, she pulled her hands away and walked over to the fridge. "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head. "No thanks."

I usually did a good job of keeping myself hidden, but Malik's gaze found me. In the doorway of Kari's room. I froze.

"So, you have a digimon," he said, looking back at Kari.

Kari finished pouring a glass of juice and turned back to him, only slightly alarmed. "How did you know she was one?"

He smiled. "I have a digimon but not a digivice. I assumed it just got lost in the mail."

Kari turned to me. "This is Gatomon. Gatomon, you can stop hiding now."

Great. I didn't want to come out of hiding. I wanted nothing to do with him.

"Come on, Gatomon. I know you're not shy," she said.

I groaned and stepped forward, giving Malik a hard look. He smiled at me, but there was something off and weird about it. Not necessarily any falseness, but it was like there was no emotion behind it whatsoever.

I looked at Kari. Regardless of the changes, she actually seemed kind of happy. I could choose to keep my mouth shut and be pleasant toward him, but then I remembered what Patamon had said. Malik had been here, in this apartment, and then we noticed something felt off when we came home yesterday, and Kari had been acting differently ever since. There was no way this wasn't connected. It wasn't my job to keep Kari happy. It was my job to protect her, and if I just hung back and kept my mouth shut, I wouldn't be doing my job.

I took a few more steps forward, until there were only a few feet between Malik and me. Then, I spoke, "I don't like you. I don't like how you've changed Kari. And, I really don't like that you broke into this apartment yesterday. Whatever you're trying to do to her had better stop."

"Gatomon! What are you doing?" Kari yelled. "What has gotten into you?"

"I'm protecting you," I said. "And this guy is nothing but trouble. Everyone can see that except you."

She looked at me long and hard. "Everyone said the exact same thing about you, but I didn't listen. Out of everyone, I thought you would be the last to jump to those conclusions."

Malik took a step back. "Listen, Kari, I better go. It was nice meeting you, Gatomon."

"Wait, Malik-" Kari's pleas were too late. He practically flew out the door. She glared at me. "Now look. You drove him away."

"He's not good for you, Kari," I said. "I only want what's best for you."

"That's for me to decide. I'm not a kid anymore, Gatomon, so let me make my own decisions."

I gave her a steady look. "Fine, but I'm going to do the same whether you like it or not."

Before Kari could reply, the door opened again, but this time it was her mom. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi, Kari, how was school?"

Kari's earlier anger melted from her features as she turned to her. "Fine, Mom. Just fine."

Kari didn't talk to me the rest of the evening, but I didn't give her much of a chance. When she wasn't paying attention, I slipped into Tai's room and waited for him to stop watching sports in the living room and come here. If TK and I couldn't get through to her, I hoped Tai could.

I didn't have too long to wait. At some point, he got up and went to the bathroom. When he came out, I poked my head out of the doorway and told him to come here.

He seemed a bit confused, but he came inside and shut the door. "What's up, Gatomon?"

"Have you noticed anything off about Kari?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. She's been pretty quiet lately. Why?"

"She has a new friend, and I think he's changing her," I explained. "She's been withdrawing from everyone but him. When I tried to tell her he was trouble, she got defensive and mad at me. She's not herself, and I want her back."

He frowned. "There might not be anything we can do about it. I mean, she's growing up. She's not a little kid anymore, Gatomon. You have to let her make her own decisions, and sometimes she'll have to fall on her face."

"But, Tai, it's getting bad," I said. "Everytime he comes here, I sense something dark and it lingers for a while. And, today he said he has a digimon but no digivice."

His eyes widened. "Okay, maybe this is a real problem."

"He might not be digidestined at all. He could be working for some crazy digimon," I said.

He thought for a moment and then looked back at me. "Talk to TK and Davis about it. They all go to the same school, so the easiest way to find out anything is to have those two be our spies, and of course you, Patamon, and Veemon."

I nodded. "Right. Except Kari isn't speaking to TK."

He arched his brow. "Wow, this is really bad."

"But I'll talk to them," I said. "Even if I have to go all over town looking for them."

Tai picked up his D-terminal. "You don't have to. I'll message them and let them know you'll be dropping by to talk to them. Maybe I can get them to meet you somewhere."

"Tell them to meet me at the park," I said. It was close enough without being too close.

He nodded as he typed. When he finished, he slipped it into his pocket. "I'll go with you in case something crazy happens."

* * *

Patamon

TK paced in his bedroom all evening, barely speaking. He didn't touch his dinner, either. He barely sat down long enough to do his homework, but his hand trembled when he tried to write something. It had been a long time since I had seen him so nervous.

"TK, pacing won't help you with Kari, and you're making me dizzy."

He stopped. "Sorry, Patamon. I just . . . you should've seen the way she clung to him. And she looked at me like I was some villain who was out to get her. I've seen her look warmer at some of the Digimon we've fought."

TK's D-terminal lit up with a message. He grabbed it from his desk, and his expression hardened. "It's from Tai. He wants us and Davis to meet him and Gatomon at the park. I have a bad feeling about this."

He shoved it in his pocket along with his digivice and unzipped his bag. I flew into it and he picked it up. He didn't put it on his back but instead held it tight in his hands. I wasn't sure if I could get out if I wanted to. He was definitely worried.

We left the apartment building and headed to the a few minutes of walking, I spoke up, "TK, how do you really feel about Kari?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, but it had been bothering me ever since I learned how Kari felt for him. She and Gatomon talked about that kind of thing, and they seemed closer because of it. I knew enough to know that human boys and girls were different in a lot of ways, but I couldn't help but wonder if talking to TK about this might help him as well.

He looked down at me and frowned. "I care about her."

"I know that, but you can care about someone in a lot of ways. What way do you care about her?"

He looked away from me. "Where is this coming from?"

"I'm trying to help you get through to her, but if you don't say exactly the right thing, this whole thing could blow up," I said. "Is she just your friend or something more?"

His grip on the bag loosened as he hung his head. "I love her."

I wanted to say something else, but the defeated look on his face stopped me. I might not have been helping him at all. I might've only been making things worse.

"I'm not going to do anything about it," he continued. "I can't be in a relationship with her."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"My parents used to love each other, too, but when the love dies, it breaks up families, and now my parents won't speak to each other. I want to know that I can always talk to Kari."

I gave him a confused look. "TK, you and Kari aren't even speaking now."

He gave a bitter laugh. "Guess you have a point there."

"And also, you're not your parents. You're TK, and she's Kari. Whatever happened to them has nothing to do with the two of you. But, you can look at your parents' mistakes and know what not to do so you don't end up in that situation."

"I guess you're right," he said. "But, I don't think I have any chance with her at this point. I don't even know if I can fix our friendship."

I poked my head out of the bag as we arrived at the park. Gatomon and Tai ran toward us, and I popped out to greet them.

"Tai, what's going on?" TK asked.

"We have a problem. You and Davis are the only ones who can really help us, but we'll wait til he gets here to explain."

"I'm here!" Davis emerged beside TK, panting as he tried to regain his breath.

"I . . . Left Veemon . . . At home," he said and finally stood up straight. "What's . . . Going on?"

* * *

TK

Given that Tai and Gatomon were here without Kari, I knew this meeting had to be about her.

We sat in a circle at a picnic table. Patamon sat in my lap while Davis sat beside me. Tai sat facing us, and Gatomon was in the middle of the table.

"We have a problem," she said. "And it's up to us to solve it."

"Why do we only have meetings when there's a problem?" Davis asked. "Can't it ever be just to say 'hi'?"

"This isn't the time, Davis," Tai said, expression hard as he looked at him. "The reason it has to be you two is because you're the only ones in the same school as Kari."

"Why isn't she here?" Davis asked. "If this involves her, she should be here."

"She can't know about this," Gatomon said. "This involves her and that Malik kid. We may have a problem."

My expression hardened at the mention of Malik, but I didn't interrupt her.

"Malik walked Kari home and saw me. He knew I was a digimon and said he had one too but not a digivice," she said. "And yesterday, Kari and I went to the digital world and ran into Ken and Yolei. Ken said he saw someone the other day with a Tskaimon, but he didn't get a good look at the person."

Patamon tensed in my arms. I looked down, just in time to see him shake his head at Gatomon.

"What's Tsukaimon?" Davis asked.

"All you need to know right now is that he's not a pleasant Digimon," she said, looking back at Patamon. "Patamon, Veemon, and I can be on the look out for Tsukaimon or any other digimon possibly connected to Malik. We don't know yet if the two are connected, but if they are, this could mean trouble."

"What makes you think he's such a bad guy? He seems alright to me," Davis said. "Other than him trying to steal Kari."

"He broke into our apartment when no one was home," Tai said, looking at me.

She nodded. "The only reason we know that is because TK came by when he was there."

Davis turned to me. "What do you think about all this?"

I looked down at Patamon, and a hollow feeling entered my stomach. "I don't trust him."

"When Kari and I came home yesterday, after he had been there, we both felt something weird, like a dark presence," she said. "Kari hasn't been the same ever since."

I glared down at the table. "She shouldn't be left alone with him."

"But stopping her from being alone with him will be nearly impossible," Tai said.

"I know it's hard, but whatever she says or does, don't leave her alone with him," Gatomon said and turned to me. "Don't let him walk her home. Don't let him get her alone, no matter how mad at you she gets."

I met her gaze. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it."

Davis still looked a little hesitant, but then he nodded. "I'm in."

"Great," Tai said. "I knew we could count on you. And I'll keep an eye on her while she's at home. Which reminds me . . ." He looked at Gatomon. "We better get back."

* * *

Thanks for reading :)


	6. Chapter 6

Kari

Tai and Gatomon were both gone. I knew immediately that something was going on, and I didn't like it. I knew they wouldn't have both left without me unless it was something involving me. What had Gatomon told him? Did she tell him about Malik?

Malik was my friend. Why was she against him so much? So he wasn't . . . Like the guy I used to be friends with. I needed different after everything that had happened.

Outside was almost pitch black when my window opened and Gatomon came in. I was sitting at my desk, and I turned to her.

"Where were you?" I asked, arms crossed.

She shrugged. "I went for a walk."

"With my brother?"

She hopped onto my bed. "What are you talking about? I was alone."

"Don't lie to me, Gatomon. I'm not dumb. You and Tai left at the same time and I bet he just came back, too."

"Kari, I really don't know what you're talking about," she said. "Why are you getting so defensive?"

On my desk, my D3 lit up. I opened the message and frowned, momentarily forgetting my annoyance. "Yolei wants me to come over after I get out of school tomorrow for a sleepover."

I replied, telling her I'd be there, but after I sent it, I realized there was one problem with that. TK lived in her building. That meant I would have to walk there with him.

"I need to tell her I can't," I said. "I can't go to that building."

"Yes, you can," she said. "This will be good for you."

I put down my D3 and sighed. Somehow, I would have to get through this.

* * *

TK

I went to school more focused than I was all week. Davis and I had the day planned out. He would keep an eye on Kari until last period, and then it would be my turn to take action, and I already had that figured out as well.

"You're a genius," Gatomon said as she approached me near the school.

I chuckled. "Thanks, but how did you know I did anything?"

"You told Yolei to invite Kari over so she would have to walk to your apartment building with you," she said.

I grinned. "I knew she wouldn't let me walk her home, so now she can walk home with me."

I looked over at Kari and saw her walking into the building with Malik, but Davis was also with them. Sometimes Davis got on my nerves, but when it came to keeping Kari safe, I knew I could count on him.

I waited anxiously for the next chance I would have to see Kari. When last period came, Kari took her seat in front of me, and something stirred inside me. When Patamon asked me about how I actually felt about her, it left me feeling more mixed up than I already was. I wanted to talk to her again. I wanted to make her smile and hear her laugh. I just wanted her to come back to me.

Davis tried to talk to Kari, but she acted like he wasn't even there. I wondered how his day had gone so far, but judging by her reaction, Kari didn't seem happy with him. That probably meant he did something right.

I didn't talk to Kari before or during class. I was saving everything for the walk home. But, after class, when she went straight to Malik, I almost lost my cool.

"Do you want to walk with me to my friend's apartment?" she asked him.

"That won't be necessary, because you're walking with me."

They turned to me, and Kari's face paled.

"I don't want to," she said.

I shook my head. "I don't care. We need to talk."

She wrapped her arms around Malik, but she was still looking at me. There was fear in her eyes. "Stay away from me, TK."

Malik held her protectively. "Back off."

I stepped closer to them, looking Kari directly in the eyes. I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I would die for you. Why are you afraid of me?"

I stepped back, watching her fear turn to surprise. But, I saw something else. Standing so close to her made me see the one thing everyone else was probably over looking. Her once warm, brown eyes had traces of black mixing with the brown. Something was happening to her, possibly worse than we thought.

In her surprise, I took Kari's hand, which had been easily pried off of Malik. He pulled her back and Kari groaned.

"TK, leave me alone," she said.

"No," I said. "As someone who cares about you, I can't do that. You need to come with me."

"You hate the forces of darkness," Malik stated, looking at me. "That means you hate her. You can't care about her."

I gritted my teeth. "What are you talking about? What did you do to her?"

She stepped forward, letting go of Malik. "Just leave me alone, TK." Then, she turned to Malik. "I need to be by myself. I'll walk to her apartment myself. And, TK." She turned to me. "Please, don't talk to me anymore."

* * *

Gatomon

Veemon, Patamon, and I spent the day searching for any signs of Tsukaimon. Veemon wasn't too much help, given his size and speed, but we left him in charge of the school's surrounding areas. Patamon and I split up, him taking the west end of the city while I took the east. We were to meet back at the school just before it let out.

Veemon was hiding in a bush in front of the school. I approached him. "Any luck?"

He shook his head. "I got nothing."

I glanced around. "Where's Patamon?

"He hasn't come back yet," he said.

I frowned. Patamon wasn't too thrilled about this development. I tried to ask him what the problem was, but he wouldn't tell me much, either. Whatever it was couldn't be good, and I had a feeling his being late was more than just loosing track of time.

* * *

Kari

TK listened to me. He didn't make any attempt to talk to me, but he stayed near me. I walked to the building with my arms crossed, trying to stay out of my head. All I wanted to do was cry, but I wasn't really sure why.

Malik and I had never talked about darkness, or my encounters with it. I didn't know how he knew it was inside me, but it was something I struggled to bury. Until recently, the Dark Ocean hadn't been an issue in a while. But, TK had to have known there was darkness inside me. Where there was light, there was always darkness.

A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I stopped, trying to keep the rest at bay, but there was no use.

I had felt TK's eyes on me since we left. He stopped, too, and got in front of me. "Kari, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, unable to find my voice. Looking into those blue eyes made me lose all control, and my tears flowed freely. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"Kari, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay," he whispered.

No, everything wouldn't be okay. I needed to pull away from him, but I didn't have the energy.

He pulled back and pressed his hand to my face, wiping away my tears with his thumb. He searched my eyes.

"Kari, what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "It's okay, TK. I just need to be alone."

He dropped his arms, but he didn't move. "You know I'm here for you, right?"

"I . . . I don't know anymore. I don't know what to think."

He looked down at the ground, his expression full of determination. "I am, Kari. Whatever he's done to make you believe otherwise . . . You need to know it's not true."

I didn't respond, but something inside me was changing. There was still a dark cloud consuming my thoughts, but he somehow took away a chunk of it. He was giving me hope.

* * *

Patamon

I flew all over half the city looking for any sign of Tsukaimon. I was about to head back, but then something smacked into me, head-first, and I fell to the ground.

I looked up and found my attacker smirking down at me.

"Looking for someone?"

I flew back to Tsukaimon's level. "What are you and your friend doing with Kari?"

"That's none of your business," he said. "You should be more worried about that partner of yours. If he continues to interfere, he's going to be in serious trouble."

I glared at him. "Leave them alone or else you'll be sorry."

His smirk grew. "And just what are you going to do if I don't?"

I took a deep breath. "Boom bubble!"

He winced, but then his smirk returned. "It's going to take a lot more than that."

I needed to get away. I needed TK. I started to get out of there, but then he smacked into me again. "You're not going anywhere."

* * *

TK

I convinced Kari to come to my apartment until Yolei got home. She was quieter than usual, but at least she wasn't trying to fight me anymore.

"Do you want anything?" I asked, digging through the fridge.

She shook her head. "I'm okay."

I sat next to her on the couch with a drink. She stared at the floor. I set my drink down on the coffee table and stared at her. I couldn't hold back anymore. Before I could think about it, I wrapped my arms around her. She seemed surprised, but then she leaned into me.

"You look like you need a hug," I said.

She gave me a small smile. "Thank you."

A few seconds passed, and then she shot up. "Do you know where Gatomon and Patamon are?"

Gatomon wanted to do a search for Tsukaimon. They were supposed to have called it quits before school ended, but they could've still been looking. I couldn't tell her about it, though. "I'm sure they'll be here soon," I finally said.

She looked down at the floor. "I guess so."

I studied her for a moment. "Hey, Kari, what he said . . . None of that was true. You realize that, don't you?"

She shook her head. "Things are changing, TK. Even I don't understand. I feel different, and I think it's best if you stay away from me."

"I can't," I said. "Not anymore."

She stared at me for a long minute. The black in her eyes had faded since we left school. It remained, but it wasn't as noticeable. She was also acting more like herself. There was an obvious connection, and keeping her away from Malik seemed to be helping.

"Why did you say you would die for me?" she asked, a bit of hesitance in her voice.

I took her hand in mine. "Because I would, Kari. Simple as that."

* * *

This is a bit shorter than usual, but I felt like on that note was a good place to end this chapter. I could've posted this chapter sooner, but I decided to wait until Valentine's Day to give you all a little bit of Takari fluff. I hope you enjoyed it :) Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

Gatomon

I had watched as Kari and TK left school. I didn't follow them home, though. We had another problem: where was Patamon?

I should've told TK, but I didn't want to run the risk of him leaving Kari alone to go look for him. Instead, I asked for Davis and Veemon's help.

"I'm not sure we should keep this from TK," Davis said.

"If we have to, we will, but right now I have an idea," I said. We were crouched down behind a bush, and I glanced around, my gaze landing on Malik as he passed by. "I'm going to follow him up close. You guys follow me from a distance. I have a feeling he can lead us to Patamon."

They nodded and I took off, going from tree to tree directly behind him, until I ran out of trees, and then I hid behind bushes, benches, and whatever else I could to keep from being detected. He might've sensed he was being followed, for he soon started turning off into random alleys as if trying to lose somebody, but then I just hopped from building to building. Eventually, he found his way to the park.

He stopped under a tree, and then something purple and beige flew out of it.

"No good news today," Malik said. "Their bond is too strong. She's going to need more manipulation."

Tsukaimon smirked. "No matter. We have leverage." He flew up into the tree and a tan sack fell out. Something was struggling inside it, and my breath hitched.

"The child of hope is useless without his Digimon," Tsukaimon said. "Now he'll be nothing more than a pesky, love-struck teenager."

I bolted and found Veemon and Davis coming closer to the scene. "Guys, Malik and Tsukaimon have Patamon!"

Veemon's hands clenched. "I'll show them a thing or two!"

"No," I said. "We have to be careful."

"Come on," Davis said. "Tsukaimon is a rookie, right? You guys can take him. And I can take Malik."

I shook my head. "It's not that easy. We need a plan."

"We're wasting time," Davis said, stepping forward. "I say we go get Patamon."

"Wait!" I was too late. They darted into the clearing. I hurried after them, but they had stopped.

We glanced around, but there was no sign of other Digimon anywhere.

"They couldn't have gotten far," Davis said. "We'll keep looking."

Davis' D-terminal lit up, and he looked at it.

"I need to tell TK," he said. "He just messaged me wanting to know where you and Patamon are."

I sighed, casting a last glance to my right, but no luck. "Tell him I'm on my way. I'll tell him about Patamon. You guys keep looking."

* * *

TK

As soon as Yolei came home, Kari headed over. I hated for her to leave, but at least I knew she was in the same building. Plus, Yolei would keep an eye on her.

My biggest concern now was Patamon. Davis said Gatomon had something to tell me, but what about Patamon? Why wasn't he with her? Unless. . .

I shook my head. No. Everything was fine and I was just being paranoid.

My thoughts wandered back to Kari, and a small smile crept across my face. Somehow, I had gotten through to her. I knew we weren't in the clear yet, but we were going to be okay. Maybe better than okay. No one was going to get between us again. I would make sure of it.

My window opened and Gatomon hopped inside. I crossed the room. "Where's Patamon?"

She looked to the floor. "From what I gathered, Tsukaimon and Malik have him. We were going to go after him, but they disappeared."

My mind spun. Patamon was gone? How did I not know? Why wasn't I the first to know?

"Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?" I asked.

"I couldn't let you leave Kari," she said.

My hands clenched. "Kari is fine. Patamon isn't."

I started to open my door, but then she got in front of me. "TK, no," she said. "They have no real use for Patamon. They're using him to get to you. It's Kari they want. Let Davis and Veemon keep looking for now."

My gaze hardened. "I need to find him. Kari is safe with Yolei, and you can stay with her, too. But, I need to find Patamon."

"You don't know what you're doing."

"It's none of your business." I hadn't meant to snap at her, but I didn't stop.

"TK, be smart about this," she said. "You can't go by yourself, and you don't even know where they are."

"I don't care. He needs me. Could I stop you from going after Kari if she was in danger?"

She sighed. "No. You'd be right behind me."

I nodded. "Exactly. Just let me find Patamon. You look after Kari. If something happens, Yolei can get a hold of me."

* * *

Kari

"So, how's everything with TK? Any improvements?" Yolei asked once we were in her room. She not only shut the door, she locked it. As if afraid her siblings would try to barge in on our girls' night.

I shrugged, unsure if I really wanted to discuss earlier with her yet. I still wasn't sure what to make of it, but I felt . . . Almost okay when I was with him. More okay than I had felt in weeks.

"I talked to him yesterday," she said, sitting across from me on the floor. "He's really worried about you."

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." I bit my lip. Was I really fine?

"So, where's Gatomon? If you don't mind me asking," Hawkmon said.

I glanced at him. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since I left school. Patamon didn't come home yet, either."

Yolei frowned. "There's something weird going on here."

"But, on the bright side, we would be bored if there wasn't," I pointed out.

A soft tapping on the window interrupted our conversation. We turned to Gatomon, and Yolei, being the closet, let her in.

"We were just talking about you," Hawkmon told her.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Around." She didn't meet my gaze.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Did Patamon make it home?"

She finally looked at me and studied my face, seeming a bit confused. "You . . . You're back?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nevermind that. We have a problem. Patamon is missing."

"What do you mean he's missing?" Hawkmon asked.

She turned to him. "I already told TK, and Davis and Veemon are still out there looking as well. I stopped so I could tell TK and return to Kari."

"We should help them," I said.

Gatomon shook her head. "No. We need to stay here. It's not Patamon they want."

"Well, who is they, and what do they want?" Yolei demanded.

Gatomon sighed. "Tsukaimon, and a human." She turned to me. "I think you know who."

I felt as if the wind had just been knocked out of me. "You can't be serious. Malik is sweet. He wouldn't . . . "

"Kari, open your eyes. He's trouble," she said. "They have Patamon, but they want you. I don't know why they do, but we can't let them get to you."

Before I could respond, my cell phone buzzed. I pulled it out and stared at the message.

 _I missed walking you home today. I hope your friend didn't upset you any more. I don't like seeing you get hurt._

I put my phone away. "You're wrong, Gatomon."

"Kari, are you already forgetting that he kidnapped one of our friends?" Yolei asked.

I shook my head. "He wouldn't."

"I saw it with my own eyes," Gatomon said.

I crossed my arms. "Maybe you just can't accept the idea of me possibly having feelings for someone other than TK."

Everyone stared at me for a long second as if I had grown a second head. Before they could speak, I felt the tears trying to break loose again. What was wrong with me today?

"Coming here was a mistake," I said. "None of you understand."

"Kari." Yolei put her hands on my shoulders. "It's confusing, I know. But, you need to talk to me. I'll listen."

I shook my head. "You never had this problem, Yolei. Everyone accepted your relationship with Ken without a second thought."

"In case you forgot, no one trusted Ken when we first met him, not even me. If this Malik guy is who you want to be with, just give everyone time."

Gatomon inched closer to me. "Kari, I don't want to see you get hurt. Please tell me you know what you're doing."

I bit my lip and nodded. "I don't know what I feel anymore. I can't do anything until I figure it out."

Yolei pulled me into a hug. "It's okay, Kari. I'm here for you."

I smiled. "Thanks, Yolei."

For the rest of the evening, we stayed up talking and watching movies. It was a nice change in pace, and I was glad I had come. After the initial conversation, there was no more real talk about my love life (or lack of), and it was nice to just push it all aside for a bit.

At least, until night came along.

Yolei and Hawkmon slept quietly in her bed while Gatomon slept next to me on the floor. A million thoughts ran through my mind. Between worrying about Patamon and worrying about TK and Malik, I wasn't sure there was any room left to worry about anything else.

From my bag beside me, I pulled out my phone. No one had tried to contact me. For a second, I thought about texting TK, but I put my phone away without saying anything. Memories of earlier flashed through my mind. How he held me, how he wiped my tears . . . He was being more sweet than he used to be, and he was already pretty sweet. What did that mean?

My phone buzzed and I grabbed it, half hoping it was TK, but it was Malik.

 _Meet me outside your friend's apartment building. Don't tell anyone. I have a surprise._

 _Malik_

I tucked my phone back into my bag and glanced around. Everyone else was sound asleep. They wouldn't miss me for a few minutes, would they?

I stood up and left the room, carefully opening and closing the door, all while making sure no one woke up. Gatomon stirred for a second, but she didn't wake up. Quickly, I left the apartment.

Malik was waiting for me at the entrance. I walked outside, but I didn't smile. Gatomon was right; I needed to be smart about this. What if he really was behind Patamon's disappearance?

"Hey, Kari, having fun?" he asked.

I took a deep breath. "Not really. Too busy worrying. TK's digimon partner, Patamon, is missing. Do you know anything about it?"

Confusion graced his features. "I've never seen one to know." The confusion left his face. "Maybe TK drove him away. Wouldn't surprise me."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "TK and I are alright now, Malik. I think we're going to be okay. And I don't think he drove Patamon away, either. Something's not right."

"That's for TK to worry about, not you," he said. He gazed intensely into my eyes. "You're better off without him, believe me. He doesn't understand you."

I raised my brow. "Why do you think that?"

"I see something in you . . . You try to always be this bright ray of sunshine, but I know, deep down, you harbor dark feelings, some you didn't even know you had."

"You keep talking about this darkness, but I don't understand how you know about any of this."

"Because you and I are more alike than you can even imagine, but while you try to bury the darkness, I embrace it," he said. "It's a part of me. Don't you want people to accept you for everything you are instead of the person you pretend to be?"

I took a step back, but I felt it creeping up inside me. A dark feeling threatened to take over me, but I fought to keep it at bay.

"You know, the more you fight it, the worse it'll be. All those dark feelings will just keep building up until they completely take you over, and then there won't be anything left of the child of light besides darkness."

"H-how did you know?"

He smiled. "I know everything about you, Kari. And, I know the path you're on will lead to despair. So why don't you embrace your darkness now before that happens?"

I looked down, but he continued talking before I could respond.

"TK won't like it, will he? I was right. He hates darkness. You're afraid he'll abandon you if you show any sign of darkness," Malik said. "It's his loss. If he can't accept you for who you are, then it never would've worked out anyway."

The dream. It all came back to me. I was with Malik in the Dark Ocean. I wasn't afraid. Could that have been a symbol of my internal darkness?

My knees shook, but Malik grabbed me before I could fall over. Tears poured down my face as I thought about TK. My best friend felt farther away than when he was in Paris. He would never have feelings for me if he knew the truth.

"You want to be selfish sometimes. You want to get mad. You want to hurt those who've wronged you. Go ahead, admit it."

I pulled away, meeting his steady gaze. "I do."

"Then do it."

He touched my chin with his hand, tilting my head up. Instinctively, I knew what he was going to do. Part of me wanted to stop him, but another part, a stronger part, wanted this to happen. I closed my eyes, just before his lips captured my own.

* * *

TK

Davis and I combed the city looking for any sign of Patamon or Malik, but with little luck. All the running was taking its toll on us, but I refused to rest, not until I found Patamon.

Every alley, ever bush, every trash can . . . We couldn't find him anywhere.

I stared down at my digivice. What good was it if I couldn't find my partner?

"TK, don't worry . . . . We'll find him," Davis said, stopping beside me, looking like he was about to pass out. "Maybe . . . We should call for help?"

I was about to respond when I noticed a moving box beside the nearby trashcan. My heart lurched and I opened it. A tan-colored sack had something moving inside, and when I opened it, I found Patamon with his mouth taped shut and looking more afraid than ever.

Davis rushed to my side as I ripped the tape off and Patamon flew into my arms. "Patamon! I'm so glad you're okay!"

He shook his head. "You shouldn't have come for me, TK."

"What are you talking about? Of course I would come for you no matter what!"

Patamon shook his head. "TK, the plan was to get you away from Kari and distract you. They want her."

"She's with Yolei and Gatomon," I said. "She's fine."

He shook his head. "You need to go to her."

I turned to Davis. "Thanks for your help today, Davis. You should go home and rest. I'll take care of things from here."

He paused, then spoke, "Are you sure?"

I nodded, looking at Veemon who looked ready to pass out. "If I need help, Yolei is there. Cody should be in the building as well. We'll take care of everything."

He nodded. "Fine. But if you need me, let me know."

We went in separate directions. I didn't think I had more running in me, but it was like an adrenaline rush had come over me. Kari . . . She had to be safe. If she wasn't, how would I ever forgive myself?

* * *

Patamon

TK ran back to his apartment with me in his arms. I couldn't remember the last time he had run so fast. But feeling the wind against my face was better than being trapped in that stuffy box.

I knew things TK didn't know. Things I didn't want him to know, at least not until he had to. But, if he could just get to Kari before it was too late . . . .

TK came to a dead stop. I looked at his face, which was twisted with pain and anger. I turned, finding the one sight that could bring that look to his face. Outside his apartment building was Kari and Malik, and they were kissing.

Anger coursed through TK, and I slid out of his arms before he accidentally crushed me. His fists shook at his sides.

As if knowing we were there, Malik broke the kiss and turned to us.

"Did you enjoy the view?" Malik asked TK, smirking. I caught sight of Kari's expression behind him. It was . . . Nothing. Her face was blank. But, her eyes . . . Something was wrong with her eyes, but I couldn't figure out what.

"You need to stop manipulating Kari. I don't know how you're doing it, but it needs to stop," TK said.

Malik chuckled. "I'm doing no such thing. For once, she's happy with someone else and you can't stand it."

"No, what I can't stand is watching someone I care about falling into a trap." He stepped forward. "Whatever you plan to do with her isn't going to work. I won't let it."

"She is coming to me of her own free will, TK. Accept that. It'll be better for you." Malik smiled. "Kari is going to be the Queen of darkness. There's nothing you can do to stop what's truly inside her heart."

Queen of darkness? But, she bore the crest of light. Don't tell me . . .

"It's true, TK." Kari's voice was as emotionless as her expression. "I won't pretend to be someone I'm not anymore. This is who I am."

TK glared at Malik. "What did you do to her?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "This is the real Kari. Accept it and walk away."

TK tried to run past Malik, probably to get to Kari, but something came from the bushes and tackled him to the ground. I recognized it instantly as Tsukaimon.

I went after Tsukaimon, but he evaded my attack and knocked me to the ground beside TK. TK stood up and went after Malik while I dealt with Tsukaimon. Like earlier, my boom bubbles hardly phased him, and he was too fast for me to land too many other attacks.

TK yelled, and I made the mistake of looking his way. Before I could figure out what had happened, Tsukaimon attacked me.

"Lightening paw!"

Gatomon struck Tsukaimon, and he went flying into a building. He smirked.

"Two against one really isn't fair . . . for you," he said.

"Stop!"

Everyone stopped and looked as Kari ran toward the fight scene. Gatomon and I stayed on our guard.

There were tears in Kari's eyes as she looked at TK and Malik. At least she was finally showing emotion. TK had a hold of Malik's shirt and was inches away from punching him in the face. They both already looked beaten up enough.

"TK, stay out of my life!" she yelled. "And, Gatomon . . . I can't believe you're involved in this! What are you thinking?"

Gatomon glared at her. "I like to think I fight for the good side, Kari. Are you forgetting which side that is?"

"You're just as bad as him! You know what, why don't you just leave me alone, too. I never want to see either of you ever again."

I looked at Gatomon, who looked like she had just been slapped in the face.

"Fine, Kari, but I might not come back."

Gatomon took off. TK released Malik and chased after her. I lingered a little longer. No one seemed to notice me.

Kari grabbed her head. "Malik, could you please walk me home? I don't want to stay with my friend anymore."

He nodded and wrapped his arm around her back, and she leaned against his shoulder. The sight made me feel sick.

I looked around, worried we had forgotten something. Then, I realized . . . Tsukaimon was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Gatomon

"Gatomon, you know she didn't mean it," TK assured me for the umpteenth time that night. He had convinced me to stay at his apartment tonight, but I would've rather been with Kari. Tai was still on her good side though. He was the only one who could possibly deal with her right now.

Patamon was beside me. "Don't worry. TK and I had some spats ourselves in the past, but we're okay now. Friendships sometimes have to be tested. That's how they grow stronger."

"Exactly," TK agreed. "Kari loves you. Remember that."

I nodded. "I know, but I don't like this new Kari. He's changed her. It's like . . . she's not even here anymore. She comes back now and then, but for the most part, she's not Kari."

TK nodded. "Something is also happening with her eyes. Did you notice how black they were? I saw it earlier, but after she finally talked to me, it mostly went away. Now, after they . . . " He looked down, a lone tear rolling down his cheek as he shook his head. "Her eyes were completely covered in darkness."

I looked out the window, frowning. "He's doing something to corrupt her mind, but how is he doing that?"

"We've seen Digimon corrupted by darkness," TK said. "Like with Ken and the dark rings."

"And those black gears," Patamon added.

TK tensed. "Yeah, don't remind me."

He looked down at the floor. His hands shook as more tears threatened to fall. I hadn't really seen him cry since he was a little kid, and the fact that he was about to lose it over Kari . . . he must've really loved her.

I put my paw on his knee. "She . . . loves you, too. Remember that." I never wanted to spill Kari's secret, but he needed to know. "No matter what you saw between her and Malik, you need to understand that she only has real feelings for you. So don't be upset over what you saw. It wasn't real."

He looked stunned for a moment, but then his lips formed a hard line. "It's not about the kiss. It's about what he's doing to her. If he managed to get her that far, what will stop him from going even further?" His shaking hands balled into fists. "If he hurts her, I won't forgive myself."

"Just calm down and call Tai," I said. "It's his turn now."

TK called Tai and told him to make sure he kept an eye on Kari. She hadn't gotten home yet, so Tai was going to look for her.

None of us slept that night, but we did last down for a bit and try to rest. TK lay awake in his bed, with me on his legs and Patamon beside him. He stared at his phone, waiting for it to go off with news of Kari. After about twenty minutes, he suddenly pulled himself up and buried his head in his knees.

I put my paw on his hand. "TK, we can do this. She's counting on us to save her. We can't let her down."

"But what if we can't? What if she's too far gone this time? What if Malik really is who she wants?"

I sighed. "So this is it? You're afraid she moved on from you? TK, I-"

"It's the least of our concerns," he interrupted. "I know, but I feel that I've lost her, and I just realized I had feelings for her. It's new to me, Gatomon, and I don't know what to do."

"I remember the day Kari first told me she had a crush on you," I said. "She was afraid, too. Still is. But, no matter how many girls you tried to date, she never gave up on you. Don't give up on her."

He stood up. "Maybe we should call Tai, see if Kari made it home."

"Good thinking," I agreed as he grabbed his phone. It rang a couple times, and then he picked up. TK put it on speaker phone.

"Tai, has Kari come home?"

"No." He sounded out of breath. "I went out looking for them, but I can't find them."

"We'll help," he said. "Let me go talk to Yolei. She might not even know Kari left."

TK ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket. He turned to me and Patamon. "Let's go see Yolei."

At Yolei's apartment, TK pressed the doorbell and we waited anxiously for someone to answer. One of her sisters finally did.

"I know it's late, but is Yolei home? It's an emergency," he asked her.

She nodded. "She's in bed. I'll go wake her up and she can call you. Yolei's not very pleasant when she's woken up like this."

He nodded. "Could you just tell her that TK came by and really needs to talk to her?"

"Sure thing."

"Thank you." TK turned around and we headed back to his apartment. I couldn't stand just sitting on our hands until morning, and I could tell TK didn't, either.

As soon as we got back to TK's room, his phone went off.

"Think it's Yolei?" Patamon suggested.

TK didn't respond as he answered his phone, "Hey, Tai."

"Kari's not here." Tai's voice was frantic. "I don't know where she is. I came back home thinking maybe I missed her, but she's not here."

"Do you think she went to the Digital World?" TK asked.

Digital World? Without me? She would never!

"I don't know, TK, but I don't like this. She shouldn't be there without Gatomon, and I don't think she'd even try." Tai paused, and the voice of the leader of the digidestined took over when he spoke again. "I say we split into two groups. One goes to the digital world, and the other stays here and searches for her and Malik. As soon as we find that guy, I'd like to give him a piece of my mind . . . and fist."

I wasn't sure where TK would choose. He was usually good about guessing her whereabouts, but the Kari we were dealing with was unpredictable. It was hard to say where she had gone.

"Tai, if you don't mind, I need to do this on my own," TK said. "This is personal."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Tai said. "She could be anywhere, and there's strength in numbers."

"Tai, you know by now if anyone can find her, I can," he said. "I'll have Patamon and Gatomon with me. We'll bring her back. I promise."

Tai sighed. "You have until morning, and then I'm calling the others. You find Kari and bring her back, and I don't just mean physically."

"You can count on me." TK ended the call, and just as he did, there was a soft knock on the main door. Patamon and I ducked under his bed.

"Come in," TK said.

Yolei stepped inside. "TK, what's going on? Where's Kari?"

Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes when he looked at her. "Kari disappeared, and I really don't know where she is."

Yolei wrapped her arms around him. "TK, it's going to be alright. We'll find her."

He shook his head. "I need to do this alone."

"No, you don't," she said. "You're not the only one who loves her, you know. Your love for her is just different from ours."

Normally, TK would've probably blushed, but he seemed too upset to be embarrassed.

"I don't think she's here or in the digital world," TK said.

I came out from under his bed. "She's in the Dark Ocean again. She's been having dreams about it for weeks."

TK's face paled. "How are we supposed to get there this time? She reached out to us last time. I really don't think she would this time."

"Don't give up, TK," Patamon said, also emerging from under his bed. "We'll find her."

"Everyone can help by finding that Malik creep," TK said.

"But, you can't. He's with her," I said.

TK and Yolei looked at me, stunned. I continued, "In her dreams, there was a mystery guy with her who made her unafraid of the dark ocean. It was Malik. I'm sure of it."

TK's hands clenched into fists. "This changes everything."

* * *

Kari

"Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at Gatomon like that," I said as Malik walked me home.

"She deserved it," he said. "She has to learn the truth sooner or later."

"I hope she's okay."

Malik touched my cheek. I stopped and looked him in the eyes. I felt a weird tingling under my skin, and I kind of liked it. He pulled his hand away after a few seconds.

He didn't speak until we got back to my apartment. "Why don't you go inside and meet me on the balcony? I have a surprise for you."

I nodded and went inside. Tai was gone, and my parents were in bed. My only focus was getting to the balcony. What was Malik's surprise?

I opened the sliding glass door and found Malik and Tsukaimon.

"I want to take you somewhere," Malik said. "So you can forget about all your friendship drama for a little while. What do you say?"

I nodded, and he took my hands.

Something black was creeping up from the ground, and soon it engulfed us. The city started to fade away. In its place was a grey fog. Looking further, I saw a dark and dreary ocean. The source of my worst nightmares.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, pulling my hands away from him.

"Don't worry, Kari. There's nothing to fear. This place is more peaceful since the last time you were here."

How did he know I had been here before?

"Now, I need you to do something for me," Malik said. "Tsukaimon is my friend, not my partner. Unlike you, my Digimon came to me but my digivice never did. Tsukaimon has always wanted to digivolve, and he said the touch of your digivice will help him. Could you do him this favor?"

I wasn't so sure about this, but I didn't hesitate to nod. It was like my body was on autopilot. I took out my digivice, and Tsukaimon pressed his ear against it.

A bright yet black light surrounded him, and it came from my digivice. Since when did it shine black? When it disappeared, my breath hitched. Before me was a Digimon in mostly black. He had long arms, and there were holes all through his wings. He looked like a demon.

A maniacal laugh emitted from the being, sending chills down my spine.

"Foolish child. You fell right into my trap easier than I thought you would," he said. "Thanks to you, I will soon have control over this world and the digital world once again."

What did he mean again?

He laughed again, as if reading my thoughts. "And don't worry about the pesky child of hope coming to your rescue. After what you did to him, I wouldn't count on it. And even if he was foolish enough to, thanks to you I'm stronger than the last time Angemon and I fought, and last time he died along with me. This time, he won't be so lucky."

I gasped. This was Devimon?

It was like snapping out of a trance. For the first time in days, I could think clearly, and all my thoughts were on TK. Devimon had put him through enough.

"Don't hurt him," I pleaded. "Do whatever you want with me, but don't hurt TK again."

He chuckled. "Foolish girl. It's not him I want. It's you. Once I kill you, I can plunge the digital world into eternal darkness." He paused for a moment. "On second thought, maybe I should track down the Child of Hope first. Then, he can watch as I kill you, and then I'll kill him, too."

I looked frantically at Malik. "You set me up!"

Devimon smirked and smacked Malik from behind, and then I noticed dust particles flying through the air, starting with the top of his head. He stood as still as a statue as the particles came off his body. He was dissolving.

"He wasn't real?"

"All part of my plan," he said. "Now there's no one here to save you."

His giant hand shot out and wrapped around me, crushing me. I shrieked.

"Unless you call for them. Why don't you go ahead? Summon your little cat and the Child of Hope. Do it now."

"No!" I yelled. "Go ahead and kill me. I won't let you hurt them!"

He smirked. "I figured you would say that, which is why I have a plan B."

With his free hand, he gathered more of the dust particles, only this time, I saw someone else. Me.

"If you don't call for them, she will go find them."

I struggled in his grip, but it was useless. "No! Leave them alone."

He chuckled. "You're in no position to make demands."

Devimon snapped his fingers, and my double vanished. I gasped.

"They will be tricked as easily as you were into coming here. You silly humans, fueled by your emotions. You make it too easy."

A tear slid down my face. Now more than ever I wished TK could read my mind. _TK, don't come for me. I'm not worth it. I'm sorry. I love you._


	9. Chapter 9

TK

Patamon, Gatomon, Yolei, and I stayed up trying to figure out how we would get into the Dark Ocean. Yolei had given up on talking me into letting her go along, but she still wanted to help us at least get there, which I appreciated.

"Ken might be able to open it again," she suggested.

I shook my head. "I'd rather not put this on him again."

She sighed. "TK, I don't know how else you would get there."

"There has to be a better way."

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text.

 _Kari just came home._

 _Tai_

My hands shook, though I was flooded with relief. "She's home. We don't have to worry anymore."

Another text came through.

 _She wants you to meet her here before school tomorrow._

A small smile crept across my face. Did this mean Kari was back to her usual self?

I knew that nothing was definite, but at least she wanted to see me. That was better than when we had last seen each other.

"Yay! So it's fine and no one has to go to another dimension," Yolei said, standing up. "I'm going back to bed. Let me know how tomorrow goes."

I sighed after she left, looking between Patamon and Gatomon. "At least this means we can finally go to bed, too."

Of course, as luck would have it, I fell asleep but it was far from peaceful. I thought that, after everything, maybe I could escape with a dreamless night, but I couldn't. And it was the worst dream I had had in a long time.

I knew the setting, the overall dreariness of the atmosphere. I knew this mountain. I knew the evil I would find the second I turned my head.

He was there, looking over me like a dark cloud, only he was much bigger than I last remembered. I expected to look up and find Angemon, but he wasn't there.

This wasn't my usual nightmare. Devimon had something in his hand, crushing it with a vindictive smile.

My thoughts immediately flew to Patamon. In this dream, had Devimon gotten Patamon before he could digivolve?

Hot tears stung my eyes as I fell to my knees. "Let him go!"

A limp body fell from his hands, and my heart twisted in pain. The body wasn't Patamon's tiny figure, nor Angemon's angelic one. It was human.

 _Kari._

"No!" I shot up in my bed, immediately alarming Patamon and Gatomon.

"Tk, what's wrong?" Patamon asked, getting in my lap.

Sweat dripped from my face. "It was a nightmare. That's all."

They didn't seem convinced.

"What happened?" He pressed.

I looked away. "I can't talk about it." I forced a smile. "It's not real. It could never happen."

I didn't fall asleep again after that. Thoughts of Kari and Devimon flooded my mind. I was lucky enough that Patamon came back to me, but if I lost Kari . . . .

Picking up my phone from the nightstand, I started to text Kari. I was going to wait until morning to talk to her, but I couldn't wait that long.

 _Promise me that we're going to be okay._

She didn't answer, but I figured she was asleep. I put the phone down and tried to focus on happier thoughts. Kari's smile filled my mind, and I did my best to keep it there. I didn't sleep, but at least the image calmed my nerves.

As soon as I caught a glimpse of the sun, I threw on my uniform. Patamon and Gatomon waited for me at the door. I was so focused on where I was going that I didn't pay any attention to the walk there. I just had to see Kari.

When I got there, she opened the door before I could even knock. She wrapped her arms around me. I quickly returned it. Something felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Maybe I was imagining it. We had gone through a lot lately, and maybe that was why it felt different.

"I'm so sorry, TK," she said, pulling back and looking me in the eyes. I studied her face, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Where were you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm with you now."

I pulled away completely. When Kari and I were on good terms, she never hid things from me if she knew I was worried. That and the weird feeling was how I knew this wasn't Kari.

I had to think fast about how I was going to approach this. Either something had taken over Kari, or this wasn't Kari at all. But, even if this was Kari's body, touching her should've been familiar, not off. This led to my conclusion that this wasn't Kari _at all._

Where was Kari if this wasn't her? What had Malik done with her? I gritted my teeth, looking at the clone who seemed unaware of my internal debate. She had to know where the real Kari was. If I played along with this charade, maybe the clone would lead me to her.

It took all my willpower to make eye contact with this creepy Kari look-alike. "Listen, Kari, I'm sorry for hurting you, and I promise I'll never do that again." I took a deep breath and pressed my palm against her cheek. Her cheeks didn't turn pink like Kari's would have.

She studied my face, and I wondered if she could sense that I knew her secret. Then, she smiled. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, TK. I missed you."

I felt a tugging on my pants, and I looked down at Gatomon, who looked at me, worried. I could tell that she saw through her as well, so I gave her a wink and a smile. Her eyes lit up and the worry vanished. She looked up at the clone, and then she looked down at her too. The clone's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "Oh, Gatomon! I'm sorry for everything too! Could you ever forgive me?"

Gatomon looked at me and I nodded.

"Of course, Kari." Her voice seemed as strained as mine was. Playing along with this was going to be hard.

The look-alike only smiled at her. The real Kari would've been smothering her in a hug by now.

"TK, will you walk to school with me?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Okay, just let me finish getting ready." She headed back inside, closing the door behind her.

I turned my full attention to Gatomon. "We know this isn't the real Kari, but we have to pretend and hope she leads us to our Kari. Right now, it's our only chance."

"Aren't you even the least bit curious to know where this clone came from and why it was needed?" Patamon asked, landing on my head.

"I hadn't really thought about it," I admitted. "Gatomon, you need to stay with her the way you would Kari. Watch her every move."

She nodded. "But, TK, how are you going to pretend? Are you going to be able to keep this up if she tries to get close to you? She probably knows everything about Kari. She'll try to get to you."

"I know it's not her. I won't forget that."

The door opened again and she smiled at me. "Okay, let's go."

She grabbed my hand, and my eyes widened. This clone wasn't wasting any time.

During the walk, she prattled on about things like ice cream and classes, the things Kari and I used to talk about. It was like she knew everything about her and us. Gatomon was right; it would be hard to not get swept up in the moment, but I stayed grounded.

After a little while, I asked her something different. "Where's Malik?"

She looked confused. "Probably on his way to school. Why?"

"Just wondering." I wanted to change the subject, but she continued.

"I'm done with him. I only want you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. This wasn't Kari, but what would happen if I rejected her? Then, I thought about Malik. The way he manipulated Kari . . . This clone would do the same to me, and if I let it happen, or if I pretended to, she might take me to Kari.

And then whoever was behind this would tell Kari if it worked. Whoever it was would want to hurt her the way seeing the kiss had hurt me. As digidestined, we've all seen our fair share of cruel and vindictive villains, but this one seemed especially hellbent on destroying Kari and I in every way imaginable.

"TK, you remember Devimon, right?"

A chill shot down my spine. The real Kari knew better than to bring this up unless I brought it up first.

"Dumb question," I said. "Why?"

"What would you do if he were to ever come back?"

She sounded so innocent, but that question felt like a knife through my chest. "I don't know. Why are you talking about him?"

She shrugged. "No reason."

There was a reason, and I was sick of these vague answers. But, we were getting closer to the school now, and Devimon really wasn't something we could discuss in public.

The clone pulled her hand away, and relief washed over me as we got swept into the mass of students.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out.

 _Come to my place after school. Important. Tell no one._

 _Izzy_

Izzy? He wasn't someone I was expecting it to be from, but I figured he must've found out something. I hoped he didn't invite clone Kari. Apparently, though, he had only asked me, or a select few. What could this be about? Didn't I have enough to deal with?

All day, I avoided the clone, at least until last period. I braced myself as I slid into the seat behind her. She instantly turned to me.

"You know, Davis isn't here yet. Why don't you take his seat? I'd rather sit beside you."

"The seating chart has been made. We can't," I answered, suddenly thankful for dumb school rules.

She placed her hand on top of mine. "Did I upset you when I mentioned _him_ earlier?"

"Why do you keep bringing it up?"

She shrugged. "I just wonder, if he came back, would he be stronger? And if Angemon died the first time, would he be able to hold his own against a stronger Devimon?"

I swallowed back the images that threatened to resurface. "We're all stronger now. We would handle it as a team, and no one would die except him."

"I see." She ran her slender fingers along my hand. "And, what if you were alone with him and it was just Angemon. Then what?"

Our teacher started talking, and I was glad I couldn't answer her. But, her questions haunted me all throughout class. Why was she asking so much about Devimon? He couldn't possibly be playing a role in this. Whoever was behind this had to be just messing with me and trying to get inside my head.

After class, she grabbed my hand again. "You're going to walk me home, right?"

I shook my head. Rather than tell her the truth, I went to an easy answer. "Sorry, I can't. Matt wants me to go to his band rehearsal."

"Oh." She looked disappointed. "Okay, then. I'll talk to you later."

Gatomon followed the clone home, and Patamon flew into my open bag.

"What are we doing now?" he asked.

"Going to Izzy's. He said it's important."

"I heard the clone asking you about Devimon before school," he said. "You don't have to worry, TK. He's long gone."

"We said the same about Myotismon, and then look what happened." I sighed. "Anything can happen."

At Izzy's apartment, I rang the doorbell. Tai opened the door, indicating that it wasn't just me Izzy had invited.

He didn't speak, which was unusual for him. Maybe he knew about Kari's clone, too. Was that what this was about?

Tai led me into Izzy's office. Matt and Sora were here as well. I sat down beside my brother while Tai sat across from us.

The door opened again, and Ken walked in. He stood beside Izzy.

"The reason why I called you here is to discuss a recent sighting," Izzy started. "Ken, you start."

Ken cleared his throat. "I saw someone with a Tsuikaimon in the digital world. I assumed the person was digidestined, but when I did further research on Tsukaimon, something didn't add up."

"What's a Tsukaimon?" Sora asked.

Ken clicked a couple buttons, and a picture of Tsukaimon appeared on Izzy's big screen.

"He looks like a purple Patamon," Matt said.

"Davis told me he had seen him here," Ken continued. "He was apparently with a human Kari had . . . grown attached to. He said that they're already causing problems." Ken looked at me, then at Patamon. "Davis doesn't think this guy is digidestined. What about you, TK? What do you think? I'm sure if Kari and Davis know him you do, too."

My hands clenched. "I don't even know if he's a real person . . . ."

Ken and Izzy stared at me, wide-eyed.

"What do you mean?" Izzy asked.

I looked away. "We'll talk later. Just continue."

Izzy cleared his throat. "We also discovered something else that's a bit troubling. If this guy is digidestined, Tsukaimon has the capability of turning into Devimon."

All the blood drained from my face. Matt put his hand on my back.

"It is the rookie version of two other digimon as well, but none of them sound very pleasant," Izzy said.

My hands clenched into fists. "It's Devimon. That's why she was talking about him."

Everyone looked at me, confused.

I looked at Tai. "That thing you let in your home wasn't Kari. It was a clone. Somehow, he must've made her. He has her, and he wants me, too."

"Back up, TK. What's going on?" Matt kept one hand on my back and the other was keeping me from crashing to the floor.

Tears stung my eyes, and I made no attempt to hide them. "That's not Kari. I know it's not. Gatomon senses it, too. The clone . . . she kept asking hypothetical questions about Devimon all day. I should've known there was a reason for it." I raked my hands through my hair. "Malik is probably something he created, just like this clone, to drive a wedge between Kari and I so he could get to us alone."

"Tsukaimon would've probably already digivolved if Malik was actually his partner," Tai said. "And if Tsukaimon wanted to digivolve, he would need to be touched by a digivice of someone who was digidestined. Like what happened to Leomon after he was touched by a digivice back on File Island. But, for him to digivolve that way, wouldn't that person need to be wrapped in darkness themselves?"

Ken nodded. "Exactly."

 _Wrapped in darkness._ I remembered Kari's eyes. They had been pitch black. And, she kept telling me the darkness was inside her . . . .

Tai and I looked at each other, as if both realizing the same thing at the same time.

 _He's using Kari._

A sob escaped from my lips and I buried my head in my hands. Matt's arms formed an embrace, and he held me against his chest. Sora moved to my other side and wrapped her arms around me as well. They couldn't comfort me though. The only one who could wasn't there.

"We'll save her, TK, don't worry," Matt said. "She'll be okay."

"You don't know that! She could already be dead by now." My hands clenched into fists. "He'll kill her, just like he did Patamon, only Kari won't come back."

There was a sharp intake of breath, and my eyes locked on Tai. He studied me hard, looking deep in thought.

"He's not going to kill her, TK. Not yet. He has no witnesses," Tai said. "He'll want you to see her die. He'll want to see your grief for himself. Killing her alone wouldn't be satisfying enough."

I wiped my eyes and shrugged off Matt and Sora. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you find Kari and save her," he said. "The clone only wanted you. She barely spoke to me or anyone else. She was created with the sole purpose of getting to you. Use this to your advantage."

I nodded.

"But, you don't have to do this alone," Matt said. "We're right here."

I shook my head, looking directly into my big brother's eyes. "I have to do this on my own and put an end to the nightmares about Devimon. If I can stop him from killing Kari, hopefully they'll stop."

"But, TK, don't kill yourself in the process," Matt said. "Think logically. There's strength in numbers."

I shook my head. "If the clone only wants me, that means she'll only lead me to Kari, not everyone else. This is my fight. The rest of you need to accept it."

"Matt, I don't like this anymore than you do," Tai said. "Kari is my little sister. I want to save her, too, but TK needs to do this. I trust him."

I met Tai's steady gaze and felt a newfound confidence. Unlike Matt, Tai never treated me like a little kid, even when I was one. Matt had gotten better about it, but times like these, I knew he still wanted to protect me. Though, if the roles were reversed, I knew I'd be the same way.

Matt hesitated, but then he nodded. "Fine, but be careful, and don't hesitate to ask for help."

I took a deep breath. "I'll try."

* * *

AN: So, I just realized as I was trying to add page breaks . . . I didn't need page breaks. I'm thinking this is the only chapter told in just one POV and I didn't even notice it.

Anyway, thanks again for reading, and even more so for reviewing :) Next chapter gets into the real "fun" part of the story. It's pretty much ready to go and I plan to post it at some point in the next couple days. Unless I get some whacky idea that draws the story out for 10 more chapters, I think there's only 3 chapters left, maybe 4.


	10. Chapter 10

Kari

Chained to the wall of a cave, unaware of what day or time it was, was never how I imagined I would die. But, here I was, and there was no escape.

At this point, I was out of tears. I sat with my head buried in my knees, trying to think happier thoughts, but the image that popped into my head twisted my heart. TK's usual smiling face was twisted in pain and anger, and I realized, that was the look on his face the last time I saw him.

A shudder ripped through me as tears started falling again. So much for being out. Even if I asked for him to come, he wouldn't. I drove him away. Eventually, Devimon would get bored and just get it over with, and I'd never see TK again.

I did my best to change the image in my head until he was smiling and happy. I closed my eyes, trying to remember the way his arms felt around me. I could almost hear him tell me everything would be okay.

A sob broke through my lips. I wanted him here with me. It didn't matter if he wanted me as more than a friend or not. I could've asked him to save me again. He could've showed up and we could've gotten out of this mess alive. But, there was always the risk that we wouldn't. And, it wasn't just us. If something were to happen to Gatomon and Patamon, I'd never forgive myself.

I stared out into the darkness of the cave. For now, all I could really do was wait and hope that the clone didn't trick them into coming here. If my friends could escape this mess, then I could deal with the consequences.

* * *

Gatomon

I followed the fake home from school, but she didn't talk to me hardly at all. At home, she watched the news and still didn't speak. It was weird, but then, everything about this situation was weird.

Sometime later, the front door opened and Tai walked in. He went straight to his room, and I followed him there. The clone didn't seem to care.

"Tai, we need to talk," I whispered.

He nodded. "I know."

He threw his bag on his bed and led me out of the apartment. Again, the clone ignored us.

"That's not Kari," I said.

"I know." He looked me in the eye. "At Izzy's we think we figured out exactly what's going on."

"And what's going on?"

"Tsukaimon probably used Kari's digivice to digivolve into Devimon, and now he wants to destroy TK and Kari. At least, that's mine and TK's theory."

My eyes widened. "Now what?"

"TK and Patamon are going to find Kari, and we all agreed that you should go with them."

I nodded. "Right. What should I do now?"

"Act naturally. TK is coming over soon. The plan is to get this clone to lead you guys to Kari as soon as possible."

Act naturally. _Right._ I sighed. "I'm getting tired of playing. I want Kari back."

"We all do," he said. "But, this is our only chance right now. Just let TK handle this part."

Footsteps approached us, and we turned to see TK. I had seen the look of determination on his face many times, but this time was different. It was mixed with something I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

His gaze met Tai's, and Tai took a step back.

"Tai, listen," TK started. "If I don't make it back, please tell Kari I love her."

TK

I could feel the surprised stares of Tai, Patamon, and Gatomon, but I didn't look at any of them, my gaze solely on the front door and what awaited me behind it.

I had left Izzy's house with a strange new feeling of purpose and determination. Inside me, I felt something changing. Things I didn't even know about were changing.

Patamon had tried to talk to me on the way over here, trying to assure me that everything would be okay, but that wasn't the point. Devimon still haunted me. In my usual nightmares, he always killed Angemon, and Angemon never came back. Now, he had Kari, and I was already having nightmares about losing her.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, remembering the look on Kari's face when I said I would die for her. I had meant it. I didn't want it to come to that, but if it did, I wouldn't hesitate.

Memories flashed in my head. How I stayed with her when she was sick. I could easily remember watching helplessly as she slept off her fever, wondering when or if she would wake up. I remembered how Piedmon had grabbed me, but Kari grabbed me, too, saying she wouldn't let me go . . . .

I took a deep breath as new memories flashed through my mind. Seeing her in Malik's arms, seeing her smiling and laughing with him . . . The way she looked at him, like how she used to look at me. I tried to fight it back, but then the kiss made its way front and center.

It would be my luck that just as I realized I had those feelings for her, she would feel them for someone else. When people loved, they got hurt. I knew that better than anyone, yet I still fell into the trap. But, it didn't matter. No matter how Kari felt about me, I would still risk my life to save her.

"What are you talking about? Of course you're coming back," Tai said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I took a deep breath. "I'll do anything to bring her back safely. Even if I don't."

Tai grabbed my shoulders. "TK, there's no way I can let you go on a suicide mission."

I pushed his arms away. "I don't care. I know what I'm doing. It's my job to protect her."

"No, it's not," Tai argued. "Technically, as leader and her big brother, it's my job to protect her."

I shook my head. "This is what I'm supposed to do, Tai. Accept it. Whatever happens is supposed to happen."

Tai paused, his expression dark. "I can't talk you out of this, can I?"

I shook my head.

"Matt won't be happy with your decision."

"He'll have to get over it."

Tai nodded, his expression grim. "Do your best to bring her and yourself back safely. That's all I ask."

"I'll try."

His lips curled into a small smirk. " _When_ you come back, you and I are going to have a little chat."

"About what?"

He put his arm around my shoulders. "The older brother to sister's new boyfriend talk."

A light blush crept across my face. "But, we're not-"

Tai rolled his eyes. "You will be when all this is over."

Bracing myself, I opened the door. "All of you . . . stay out here for now. Let me be alone with her," I whispered.

Walking inside, I found the clone sitting on the couch, watching TV. I forced a smile. "Hey, Kari."

She looked surprised. "I thought you had to go to Matt's band rehearsal."

I shook my head. "It ended early on account of my hotheaded brother getting mad and throwing drumsticks at the drummer." That sounded like something my brother might do one of these days, anyway.

She smiled and stood up. "Let's go somewhere more private."

She led me to Kari's room, closing the door behind us. It felt weird being alone with her, and part of me wondered if, without them, I would be able to stay grounded. I sat down on the bed, leaving a few inches between us, but she quickly scooted against me and wrapped her arms around me.

"I missed you," she said. "I don't want us to ever be apart."

My hands shook as I tried to move away, but she wasn't budging. "K-Kari, don't you think this is a little too fast?"

She shook her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. "I've been waiting so long for this. Do you really want me to hold back? Before you answer that . . . ."

She placed her hand against my chest and buried her face into my neck. My breath hitched as her hand moved along my chest and her lips placed light kisses against my neck.

"Mmm I love you, TK. Do you love me?" She said between kisses.

It was getting harder to breath as she toyed with the hem of my shirt. I didn't want this to continue. This wasn't Kari, and it felt like I was cheating on her.

"Stop." I pushed her away from me. "Look, I know you're not really Kari, and I know you were sent here to bring me to her, so just do it already."

"But, we were having so much fun," she said, placing her fingertips against my chin. "Don't you want a little more first?"

I stood up. "Take me to Kari. Patamon and Gatomon, too."

She shook her head and waved her hand. A gray, swirling portal appeared before us. "I can take you but not them."

How was I supposed to defeat Devimon without them?

I bit my lip and nodded. If this was what I had to do, I would do it.

I started to put one leg inside but paused when something started banging on the door. The clone froze, and in her surprise, I grabbed her and shoved her through. I was going to go back and let Patamon and Gatomon in, but the clone grabbed me, and when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by grey.

* * *

Kari

I knew he was near. I sensed him.

Somehow, the darkness became more prominent, and I found it harder to breathe. Then, I heard him chuckle, and shivers went up my spine.

"It seems that lover-boy fell right into the trap. That was easier than I thought."

I struggled against the chains, feeling the cool metal rubbing against my wrists. I was only hurting myself, but I didn't care.

"Leave him alone!"

The chuckling sounded again. "You really think you can stop me? In your current position? Your digivice won't even work properly now. You don't stand a chance."

The dark presence receded. Once again, I was alone. What did he mean my digivice wouldn't work? What did he do to it?

My hands trembled. A better question was, what did _I_ do to it?

* * *

AN: As promised, a faster update. I was feeling generous this week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	11. Chapter 11

TK

I probably should've waited to see if Patamon and Gatomon would manage to get through the portal, but I was too anxious to find Kari to wait for them. I just needed to know if she was safe.

Using my digivice, I tried to figure out where she was, but it was coming up nothing. I didn't know if it was the setting interfering or if Devimon had done something.

At least I was able to properly see most of my surroundings without too much walking. The cave was the only place that looked like somewhere Devimon might've been keeping Kari, unless . . . .

I tensed, staring at the ocean. He wouldn't, would he?

Dumb question, TK. Of course he would, but that didn't mean he did.

Using the light from my digivice, I headed inside the cave, hoping I guessed right.

* * *

Gatomon

After what felt like eternity but was, in reality, only seconds, Tai, Patamon, and I managed to break down Kari's bedroom door. There was a gray portal getting smaller by the second, and Patamon and I didn't think twice about going through.

"Be careful," Tai yelled after us.

Everything was as grey as I remembered it, but I didn't study my surroundings too much as I was trying to find TK, who had already disappeared.

"Over there!" Patamon said, looking in the direction of the cave.

Sure enough, he was running straight into the cave on the far side of the shore. Patamon started to go after him.

"Patamon, let's stay close but not too close," I said. "When he does find her, we should give them a minute of privacy."

He froze, turning to me. "But-"

I shook my head. "Unless you really want to see them kiss and make-up. Just trust me. We'll be close enough to protect them, but they don't need to know we're here just yet."

Patamon nodded, but the worry was clear on his face.

"I wasn't with you guys when you faced Devimon," I said. "But, he should be easier this time. You're stronger now, and I'm also here."

"Devimon isn't what I'm afraid of," he said, landing on the ground in front of me. "It's TK. He's not thinking clearly. I know how badly he wants to protect Kari. He feels like this is his fault. I'm just afraid he's going to do something reckless, and I won't be able to stop him."

I felt kind of guilty. I hadn't even thought about what TK's statement of dying for Kari would do to Patamon. I remembered how I felt the first time the dark ocean took Kari. It was too hard to think about at the time, but if I had really lost her I wasn't sure what I would've done. If she didn't survive this, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Patamon must've felt the same way about TK.

"No one is going to die," I said, glaring at the ground. "Except Devimon. Besides, I don't think Kari would let him die for her. She would do everything in her power to stop him."

He didn't meet my gaze. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Kari

Someone was coming, drawing closer and closer. I knew who it was, but rather than feel excited, I only felt more miserable.

I had done so well fighting back the urge to call for him. No matter how much I had wanted to, I had refused, thinking that, in the end, I was protecting him. But, I should've known he would find his way here one way or the other.

Did he even know who was waiting for him here? Once he found out, he would hate me.

I fell to the ground, my entire body shaking. None of this would've happened if I had just told him how I felt instead of continuing to hide it. If he had said he didn't feel that way about me that would've been a better fate than this. Whatever happened, we would've gotten through it.

A small light suddenly caught my attention, and the sound of footsteps echoed through the cave.

I gasped, but then quickly covered my mouth. The footsteps stopped.

"Kari, are you here?"

My voice shook, but I managed to answer. "H-Here, TK."

He stopped, turning the light toward me. I could just make out his face.

I couldn't speak as he approached me. I couldn't even look at him. Suddenly, I felt ashamed by my current state. Defenseless, chained to a wall . . . I couldn't remember a time when I had been so vulnerable.

He stopped in front of me, and I shivered under his stare. He touched my cheek. "It's really you."

My bottom lip quivered as I fought back tears. My legs seemed to be moving on their own as I stood up. "TK . . . you shouldn't be here. He wants to kill us. You need to save yourself."

He shook his head. " I knew what I was getting myself into. You don't need to tell me." He sighed. "Your clone was anything but subtle."

I frowned. "How long did she have you fooled?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to know, but the question was already out.

"Barely a second," he said. "The moment she hugged me, I knew."

Relief washed over me. "I'm glad, but why are you here? If she didn't trick you-"

"I made her take me to you." He looked away. "She wouldn't let Gatomon and Patamon in, but I pushed her through before she pulled me through. I hope they managed to get through."

I looked away. "TK, I'm sorry. He messed with my head. It was like being under mind control. I don't even remember half of the last week. But, I remember the look on your face when I was kissing Malik. I'm sorry."

His arms encircled my waist, and I put mine on his hips, which was as far as I could reach.

"It's okay. I know none of that was you," he said. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"I'm just sorry my first kiss wasn't with …." I looked away, face warm. I couldn't bring myself to finish that sentence.

He leaned in closer to me, his face inches from mine. "Let your next kiss be with the one who loves you, and who you love. You can't dwell on what's already happened."

I nodded. "Then . . . TK, will you kiss me?"

I hadn't even thought about what I was asking before I asked it, but when I did, heat rose to my cheeks. Now, he would know, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for his reaction.

He dropped his arms, and pain shot through my chest. He was rejecting me, but at this point I couldn't blame him.

"I'm not letting our first kiss be when you're chained to a wall," he said. "I'm not going to kiss you when you don't have the option to push me away. I'm not like that."

I looked down. "Oh. Okay." As strange as it was, I suddenly wanted to kiss him even more than usual.

He pressed his lips against my forehead. "Will that do for now?"

I nodded, leaning against his chest. His hands found my wrists, and I jerked away.

"They're raw," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay," I said. "TK, I just want you to know . . . I love you."

He paused, and I noticed the cloudiness in his eyes, even in the dim lighting. "I love you, too, Kari. When this is over, I'll give you all the kisses you want, I promise."

I smiled. Despite everything, I felt just a little bit happy. Being near him did that to me. I might have been given the crest of light, but the reality was he was always my light in darkness.

My smile faded. "TK, my digivice . . . it's in my pocket. Can you get it?"

He fumbled in my pocket, pulling it out.

"He said it won't work. I have a bad feeling . . . something's wrong with it."

"Why do you think that?"

I looked away. "It was giving off black light, when he was using me. I'm afraid . . . it's messed up. I'm afraid to let Gatomon digivolve if they do find us."

Using the light of his own digivice, he held it up to my face, nearly blinding me as he studied my eyes. "Your eyes . . . they're a little black but much better than they were."

"What are you talking about?"

"When he was controlling you, your eyes were dark, and how black they were depended on your level of manipulation, I think."

"So . . . if they're still a little black . . . that means he's still manipulating me."

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I did notice, when you finally let me in a little bit, it receded."

I met his gaze. "I remember feeling better when I was in your apartment and you were holding me."

He wrapped his arms around me once again, holding me against his chest. "Then, I'm just going to have to hold you."

I closed my eyes, letting myself imagine for just one moment that it was just us and no one was out to kill us. If life would've allowed me to, I would've stayed in his arms forever, but, as usual, it had other plans.

Running steps and flapping ears approached us, and we turned to see Patamon and Gatomon.

"Kari!" Gatomon wrapped herself around my leg, probably unsure of where else to grab.

I wanted to hug her, but I was still chained.

TK held out his digivice. "Alright, Patamon, break the chains."

Bright light surrounded Patamon, and I had to close my eyes. When I reopened them, Angemon stood beside me.

Using hand of fate, he managed to break the chains. I rubbed my now freed wrists..

"Thank you, Angemon." I smiled at him as I bent down and embraced Gatomon. "I'm sorry, Gatomon. I should've listened to you."

She returned the hug. "It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

I released her and stood up. Immediately, TK's hands rested on my cheeks. "I said I wouldn't let our first kiss be when you were chained to a wall." He drew closer to me, and my head felt like it was spinning out of control. "You're not anymore."

His lips brushed against mine. The need I had for him burned inside me, threatening to consume me. His lips were soft and gentle, and while Malik's kiss left me feeling cold and empty, TK's sent warmth flooding through me. All I wanted to do was snuggle against him and let him kiss me until I couldn't breathe.

He pulled away far too soon for my liking, but his hands remained on my face. "In case something happens . . . I needed to do that."

"Get mushy later. Right now we should get out of here," Gatomon said.

TK's hands fell from my face and he took my hand in his. "She's right. Let's go."

It took me a moment to get my legs to work properly again. TK must've noticed my discomfort because he wasn't running quite as fast as I knew he could've been. Angemon flew ahead of us while Gatomon stayed behind us.

The rumbling chuckle sounded throughout the cave, sending a chill down my spine. TK didn't falter though, not until the cave started shaking.

He froze, pulling me against him. The roof of the cave started crumbling, falling around us.

Angemon dodged the falling rock. Gatomon got in front of me.

"Kari, I better digivolve," she said. "Better to be prepared for a fight sooner rather than later."

I looked away. "That might not be a good idea."

"Kari, what are you-"

Above me, a large piece of rock broke loose. Gatomon lunged for me, but TK had already shoved me out of the way. He winced, grabbing his shoulder where the rock had struck him instead.

"Let's just get out of here. We'll figure it out later," he said.

* * *

TK

Pain pierced my shoulder, but that didn't stop me from grabbing Kari's hand and taking off again. Angemon used himself as a shield to keep the falling rocks from hitting us, but every time his flight was interrupted a little bit of panic hit me. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.

We finally made it out, and the moment we did, the ground stopped shaking. Devimon must've been in a hurry for us to get out. My hand tightened around Kari's, though not enough to hurt her.

"TK, are you okay?" She asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I fought back a wince when her fingers made contact, but other than the initial pain, it strangely felt better under her touch. I smiled, nodding. "I'm fine. Let's keep moving."

"Not so fast."

* * *

AN: Yay cliffhangers, aren't they awesome? There's not much left. I'm trying to get the rest out as fast as I can. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

TK

I took a protective stance in front of Kari. She grabbed the back of my shirt in a death grip. Angemon floated above us, ready to go.

"Show yourself, Devimon. I'm not afraid of you."

I was lying, but I refused to show fear in front of Kari. I didn't want to worry her more than she already was. Devimon was something Kari and I never talked about, other than when I finally told her what had happened a couple years ago. But, I never told her about the nightmares. I didn't tell her how much it had affected me, and I wasn't going to let her know now.

A black mist was spreading across the area, slowly engulfing us. I shielded my eyes, preparing for the worst.

"Kari, I need to digivolve!" Gatomon said, looking at her partner with a pleading look.

"You can't," she said. "My digivice won't work."

Gatomon's ears fell back. "What are you talking about?"

I turned to Kari, instantly noticing the tears in her eyes. "My digivice-"

I grasped her hands, stopping her. "Try, Kari. Please."

She met my gaze. "I'm sorry, but I don't want Gatomon to suffer if the digivice is damaged."

The black was starting to creep into her eyes again. This may partly have been Kari's fear, but I could tell he was amplifying it. I had to stop it before it got worse.

"Kari, fight the fear," I said. "Nothing bad will happen to Gatomon as long as you have faith. Don't let the fear win."

Black mist soon gave way to reveal the source of my nightmares himself. I was wrong about the not being afraid of him part. I was terrified, and he probably knew that.

He chuckled again. "You amuse me. I know you're still plagued by nightmares about the last time we met. Do you remember, or do you need a refresher?"

I glared at him. "I won't let you hurt Kari."

"Ha! You think you can protect her from me? Foolish child, you should be more worried about protecting yourself."

"Kari, now!" Gatomon pleaded as Angemon flew in front of us.

I grasped Kari's shoulders. "Kari, please!"

The darkness had now taken over half of her eyes. She pushed me away. "I won't do it."

"He's controlling you, Kari. You need to fight it!"

Devimon laughed, sending a chill down my spine. "She can't fight what's already inside her. Everything she had done was solely of her own free will. She didn't do anything she didn't already want to do." He laughed again. "I'm sure you just love hearing that, don't you?"

Kari had stiffened, panic etched into her face. "TK, I-"

I shook my head. "Later. Right now, Gatomon needs to digivolve. Try it, please?"

She looked down, tears flowing down her cheeks. "If something happens to Gatomon-"

"Kari, if she doesn't, something could happen, to you, to her, to Angemon, to me . . . . Please, Kari. We need you. Fight the fear."

Kari reached into her pocket, but then she gasped. I didn't get a chance to turn around but sensed something coming toward us. Angemon sent an attack of his own, stopping Devimon's.

Devimon laughed. God, I was getting sick of hearing that.

"Angemon, still protecting these worthless humans. Come to this side of the fence and you might actually amount to something."

Anger gripped at my chest and I let go of Kari, turning toward the fight. Angemon had taken a defensive stance in front of us. From behind me, Kari took my hand.

Devimon fired another attack, but this time not at us or Angemon. A bright light shone from Kari's hand, and Gatomon lept into the air, just missing the attack as she digivolved.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Angewomon took her place. All of Kari's fears were for nothing, and now we shouldn't have had any problems getting rid of Devimon.

"I told you it would be okay," I told Kari, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Just stay with me."

Devimon smirked. If he was at all worried about his odds, he didn't show it.

"You're not going to hurt either of them, Devimon. Not as long as we're here," Angewomon said.

Devimon's smirk grew as held up his hand. Everyone braced themselves for the attack, but it never came. At least, not from the direction we thought it would.

Black light shot from Kari's digivice, striking Angewomon from behind before I could even process what had happened. She groaned and hit the ground.

"Angewomon, no!" Kari cried, pulling away from me, but I gripped her hand tighter.

"Kari, stay here," I said. "She's going to be okay."

"But-"

"Just stay here," I repeated.

She stopped fighting me but moved from behind me to my side. "I knew something bad was going to happen."

"Another angel I get to destroy. This will be fun."

"Hand of fate!" Angemon sent the energy toward Devimon. He staggered back a few feet, but it barely looked like it phased him.

I kept my eyes glued to Kari's digivice. This time, Devimon didn't raise his hand. The black light started to emerge again.

"Angemon, move!"

He moved left, just barely missing it. The black light disintegrated. But, before I could feel relief, Devimon's arms extended, catching Angemon.

 _No._

"Celestial arrow!"

I hadn't even noticed Angewomon had already gotten up, but I was grateful.

The attack struck Devimon's hand, and he released Angemon. Maybe we actually did stand a chance.

I didn't notice Kari's hand slip from mine. I also didn't notice her digivice flying through the air until it hit the ground, sliding closer to Devimon.

"Kari, what-"

"I told you it was damaged, TK!" she cried, tears filling her eyes. "This . . . everything . . . it's my fault."

Angewomon made a move like she was going to grab the digivice, but then it hit me.

"Leave it!" I said. "If he uses it again, you can see the attacks coming."

"You really think it's that easy? You really think you have me figured out, don't you?" Devimon chuckled. "This is only the beginning."

Clutching her head, Kari dropped to her knees, shaking uncontrollably. Immediately, I dropped to her side, wrapping my arms around her.

"Kari, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer me. Her eyes were completely black. What was he doing to her?

"Kari, snap out of it! Whatever he's doing, it's not real!"

"She can't hear you," Devimon said. I wanted to just wipe that smirk off his face. "Funny how easily the light can be taken over by total darkness."

"You won't get away with-" Angewomon was cut off white light surrounded her. Dread filled my stomach when she was replaced by Gatomon.

 _No._

Gatomon looked as confused as I felt, but I thought I understood what happened. Kari's current state, whatever he had done to her, caused this.

I got the best grip I could on Kari's shoulders, frantically trying to snap her out of it. I tried to talk to her while Angemon dealt with Devimon. Gatomon came toward us.

"Kari, you're stronger than this. Fight it, please! Come back to me," I repeated multiple times, but it seemed to have no effect. I refused to look away from her, but I heard the grunts from Devimon and Angemon as they fought, and I had seen several of the beams of black light come from Kari's digivice. They seemed to be growing with each one, as what was happening to Kari worsened . . .

I looked at Kari's lips as an idea came to mind. Talking wasn't working. I needed to make her realize I was here.

I pressed my lips against hers as forcefully as I could, hoping it was enough. After a moment, her shaking stopped, but as an extra precaution, I plunged my tongue into her mouth. This wasn't how I imagined the first time we did this would go, but it didn't matter anymore, not when there was a chance we may never do this again.

After a moment, her eyes opened wide, and I pulled away, smiling at her. "Welcome back."

"Kari, quick!" Gatomon said. "We need to do something!"

I whirled around to the action. Dread took over my stomach once again. Angemon was on the ground, not moving, as a barrage of black lights struck him from Kari's digivice. How had he ended up there?

I watched the black lights. They were losing intensity now, which was a small relief.

Taking Kari's hands, I helped her to her feet. Gatomon darted toward the digivice. "Kari, I need to digivolve! Angemon's in trouble!"

Kari's hands still trembled, but I held them, doing my best to calm them.

"It's okay, we can do this. Everything will be fine," I whispered.

She was looking past me, her eyes wide with horror. Before I could turn to see what the problem was, Gatomon yelled, "Move!"

As hard as I could, I shoved Kari to the ground off to the side. I turned around, just as I was engulfed in black light.

* * *

And that's a wrap . . .

Just an FYI: I hate writing fight scenes. They are my greatest weakness. I can usually barely handle writing a normal fist fight. This took a lot out of me, so I'd especially appreciate feedback on this, whether you liked it or not, even if it's just to send me death threats for this chapter ending.

There's only one chapter left (could be two, we'll see what I decide), but I'm working on a sequel. My goal is to post the last chapter no later than Tuesday, then I'm going on vacation and I'll start posting the sequel when I come back.

Anyway, thanks for reading :)


	13. Chapter 13

This is the end. In case you get a little confused by the chapter's beginning, I retold the ending events from last chapter in Kari's pov so it starts a little before TK actually got hit.

And thank you all again for reading this. I will start posting the sequel sometime after next week, probably won't be for a couple weeks, actually. I don't have a title for it yet, so I can't tell you that, either. If you don't want to miss it, just follow me or check my profile frequently.

* * *

Kari

Complete darkness clouded my mind as I dropped to my knees, clutching my head. Someone put their arms around me, but I couldn't see them. I couldn't see or hear anything. I was alone.

"Useless, that's what you are. How can you live with yourself knowing everyone who came to save you is going to die? Oh and it must be hell knowing you're the one who's going to kill them."

I knew he was taunting me, but I knew it was true. He had done something to my digivice, making it so that his attacks came through it. It was bad enough that my friends were here because of me, but knowing I could be responsible for their deaths . . . .

"Get out of my head!" I internally screamed.

TK. Angewomon. Where were they? They should've been there trying to snap me out of it. Normally, they would've been. Why couldn't I see them? Why couldn't I open my eyes?

Something warm and soft pressed against my lips, and I realized in an instant that someone was kissing me.

My shaking stopped as the dark pressure evaporated and my senses returned. I felt his arms around me better than ever. The voice tried to cut in, tried to bring me back into his control, but then something entered my mouth, startling me . . . Was that . . . TK's tongue?

I forced my eyes open, the darkness disappearing in an instant. TK was still kissing me, but he pulled away a moment later, smiling at me. In the middle of a fight with his worst nightmare, he was actually smiling.

"Welcome back," he said.

"Kari, quick! We need to do something!"

I looked to Gatomon. What was going on? Last I checked, she had been Angewomon.

TK turned back to me, determination taking over his features as he took my hands and helped me up.

Gatomon darted toward the digivice. "Kari, I need to digivolve! Angemon's in trouble!"

I hesitated. Something was clearly wrong with my digivice for those dark lights to be coming from it, and if Angewomon already changed back to Gatomon once, what could happen next?

"It's okay, we can do this. Everything will be fine," TK whispered, still holding my hands.

My eyes widened as I saw past him. A large, dark beam was coming our way. I wanted to warn TK, but I couldn't get my mouth to work, or my legs. Luckily, TK turned his head.

Before I could process what was happening, TK threw me to the ground several feet away. Then, I watched in horror as he turned to the beam, just as it engulfed him.

"TK, no!" My voice had mixed with another, and I turned to Angemon for the first time since I had opened my eyes. Seconds ago, he had been on the ground, but now he was flying toward his partner. I crawled over to TK, and even Gatomon, my digivice in her mouth, ran toward us.

I cradled TK's head in my lap as I studied him. Anyone who didn't know what happened would've thought he was just sleeping, but with every second my heart was breaking.

"TK," I managed. "Tk, open your eyes. Talk to me."

He didn't budge. His chest rose and fell, though not as fast as it should have. That gave me hope.

I didn't dare look at Angemon, and I ignored the laughter and taunts coming from Devimon. At least, until he said something that shook me to the core.

"Go ahead, child of light, let the world feel your pain. Join me in engulfing the world in darkness!"

I gripped TK tighter. "Never!"

My hands balled into fists as anger and despair filled me. Before I could do anything though, TK's digivice glowed, and light shot toward Angemon and he digivolved.

Before the seconds would pass and confirm this, I knew I wouldn't see TK's chest rise again.

My tears fell onto his pale face. I had to get a grip. TK wasn't here to snap me out of it anymore. I had to be strong. I had to finish this fight, for TK.

"Kari, look!"

I looked to Gatomon, then to my digivice which was now levitating in front of her, bright white light surrounding it. Beams of light shot from it, going in every direction, striking me, TK, Gatomon, and MagnaAngemon.

Despite everything that was happening, I felt refreshed. The giant black cloud that had been clouding my mind vanished, leaving no traces.

The light surrounding Gatomon had allowed her to digivolve again. As for MagnaAngemon, there was no longer any evidence of the damage he sustained as Angemon. But, as for TK . . .

I looked down at my hero's limp body. I had no idea what the light did for him, if anything.

"No! What did you do?" My gaze shot up to Devimon who looked worse than he did a few moments before. He seemed smaller almost, if that were possible. Then, I remembered . . . he had been gaining strength off of the fear and negative emotions inside me. If those feelings were gone, then that meant he was losing strength.

Anger surged within me, but it was different. There was no darkness to accompany it. I laid TK back on the ground and stood up as Angewomon flew past me, heading for Devimon. MagnaAngemon was already there.

Angewomon sent several arrows toward Devimon while MagnaAngemon attacked with excalibur. Devimon tried to fight back and dodge their attacks, but he couldn't dodge them all.

 _They were going to win._

I should've been happy, but it was impossible. Devimon already won, at least partially. He wanted to kill TK and I and plunge the world into darkness. He killed TK. What did that mean?

I dropped back to the ground, pulling TK against my chest, relishing in the fact that he was still warm.

"Please, stay with me." I ran my fingers through his soft blond hair. Denial would only hurt me later on, but part of me refused to believe he was actually gone, that I'd never see his smiling face again. That just wasn't possible.

I turned back to the fight, just as MagnaAngemon readied the gate of destiny. Perfect. This way meant he couldn't come back ever again.

Angewomon had Devimon in a state of paralysis. I remembered the first time she digivolved and did this to Myotismon. The look on his face was similar to the horrified look on Devimon's now.

They had everything in place. All they had to do was get him through the gate and it would be settled.

Laughter came from Devimon. The paralysis must've been wearing off.

"You think you've won, but you haven't! Your precious soulmate is dead! It doesn't matter if you destroy me or not. He won't come back, and you'll still be filled with darkness and despair."

A shudder ripped through me as I glared at him. I wouldn't let him get to me ever again.

Black light surrounded Devimon just as Angewomon tried to grab him, and she recoiled.

When the light disappeared, Tsukaimon was in the place of Devimon.

He tried to get away, but Angewomon grabbed him. This would be even easier than I imagined, or so I thought.

A portal appeared beneath us, sucking us in before I could blink.

When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by color. The contrast made my eyes hurt for several seconds, but I was relieved nonetheless. We were inside someone's home, but whose I wasn't sure.

I looked around, finding Gatomon and Patamon back to their normal selves. TK was on the floor in front of me.

Patamon was at his partner's side, the tears I was certain he had been holding back for the last several minutes of the battle falling freely down his face. Kneeling down, I scooped him into my arms, feeling my heart break all over again as he sobbed into my chest.

"I'm sorry, Patamon," I said. "He should be here right now."

Footsteps came toward us, snapping me back to the present situation. I looked up, finding Genai.

"He is here, Kari. Look at his chest."

I looked down, just as his chest rose and then fell.

"H-How? That's not possible. He was dead."

"He was," Genai said. "You brought him back before his soul could go anywhere."

"She can do that?" Gatomon asked.

Genai nodded. "Creation. Life. Your crest represented all that is good, Kari. In the same way TK gave his energy to Angemon, you gave TK some of yours, enough to keep him alive."

I watched his chest rise again. "When will he wake up?"

"His body needs time to heal," he said. "For now, he needs to rest. He'll wake up when he's ready."

I released Patamon and he landed on TK's chest.

"Genai, do you think we could stay here?" I asked. "I can't exactly take TK back to our world like this."

He nodded. "Actually, I would prefer it." He scooped TK into his arms. "Come on. I have a room set up for you."

The room he led us to didn't look like it required much setting up, given it only had two beds, but that was all we needed. Genai laid TK on one of them.

"There is something you should be aware of." He turned back to me. "I don't know what you should expect when he wakes up. His body was essentially crushed by darkness and then brought back to life by the light. I've never seen it happen before, so I can't tell you what to expect."

I nodded. "I understand."

"I'll leave you four alone and go find you something to eat. You must be hungry. Then, I'll email Izzy and let everyone else know what's going on."

I nodded, realizing I hadn't eaten anything since last night at Yolei's. That seemed like a hundred years ago now.

Genai had placed the beds a foot apart, but I moved them together and laid down on the other one. Patamon laid down on TK's chest, and I wrapped my arms around his torso. Gatomon perched at the head of the beds, looking down at us.

"He told Tai he would sacrifice himself if it meant saving you," she said. "He wasn't kidding."

I knew he wasn't joking that day when he said it at school, but that didn't mean I wanted him to.

I brushed the hair away from TK's eyes and kissed his cheek. When he woke up, we were going to have a long talk. For now, all we could do was wait.


End file.
